In response to the invasion of the Oyo State Government Secretariat in Ibadan by Yoruba Nation agitators, the police have launched a manhunt for Mrs. Dupe Onitiri-Abiola. Suspected of sponsoring the violence, Mrs. Onitiri-Abiola, widow of the late Chief Moshood Abiola, claimed responsibility for the disturbance in a viral video.
The agitators, wielding firearms and clad in military camouflage, stormed the Oyo State House of Assembly complex and attempted to breach the governor’s office before being repelled by security forces. Twenty-one suspects were apprehended and paraded by the police, along with weapons and other incriminating items recovered from them.
Oyo State Police Commissioner, Adebola Hamzat, condemned the invasion as a criminal act of treasonable felony and terrorism. While not explicitly naming Mrs. Onitiri-Abiola, Special Adviser to the Oyo State Governor on Security Matters, Mr. Fatai Owoseni, acknowledged her leadership role in the Yoruba Nation agitation.
Prof. Banji Akintoye, another Yoruba leader, dissociated his group from the violence, indirectly implicating Mrs. Onitiri-Abiola’s faction. In a viral video, she claimed leadership of the group, further implicating herself.
Detailing the events of the invasion, Commissioner Hamzat recounted the agitators’ violent confrontation with security forces, resulting in injuries and the recovery of weapons. He affirmed the police’s commitment to national unity and urged against the destabilization of the state by misguided individuals.
Despite facing legal repercussions, some of the suspected agitators remained unrepentant, asserting their lawful right to advocate for Yoruba independence. One of them, Alabi Ogundeji, defended the invasion as a celebratory act marking the birth of a new Yoruba nation, emphasizing the long-standing desire for self-determination.
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