Sunday Adeyemo, a Yoruba activist popularly known as Sunday Igboho, has cancelled a rally scheduled to take place in Lagos state following the attack
Sunday Adeyemo, a Yoruba activist popularly known as Sunday Igboho, has cancelled a rally scheduled to take place in Lagos state following the attack on his house.
Two persons were said to have been killed while cars and valuable items were destroyed during the attack on his house in the early hours of Thursday.
Igboho has now said the Yoruba Nation mega rally planned for Saturday will no longer hold.
He made the announcement while speaking with BBC News Pidgin.
Igboho claimed that the attack was carried out by operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) and the Nigerian army.
He said he was taken aback by the attack as he had not committed any crime to warrant being targeted. He added that the planned rally was meant to be a peaceful one.
“I fight for my family because Fulani bandits killed my family and raped them. Government refused to do the right thing for my family. That is why I am fighting for them, so I am surprised. They killed two people during the shooting, and they destroyed my property and my vehicles,” he said.
Earlier, an umbrella body of Yoruba groups, Ilana Omo Oodua, had said the rally would go ahead despite the attack on Igboho’s house.
Banji Akintoye, the leader of the group, had said: “We want to confirm again that the Pro-Yoruba nation rally scheduled to hold on Saturday, July 3rd, in Lagos will proceed as scheduled.”
Similar rallies had been held in some parts of the south-west by Yoruba self-determination groups, with Igboho at the forefront.
In a statement signed by Jare Ajayi, national publicity secretary of Afenifere, the group said: “The news of fatal attack on the residence of Sunday Adeyemo popularly known as Sunday Igboho in the early hours of Thursday, July 1, 2021 is a sad indicator that we are fast returning to the era of the late Sani Abacha when anyone who expressed opinions contrary to government’s position would be fatally attacked.
“Nigerians woke up this morning to the unsavoury news of an attack on the residence of the Yoruba activist, Igboho, in Soka area of Ibadan by armed men reportedly in army and DSS uniforms. Reports have it that the invaders came in 15 vehicles.
“The attack came less than 72 hours to the plan by Igboho and others to hold a rally in Lagos to further canvass for a Yoruba nation this Saturday. The manner of attack indicated culpability on the part of those in authority.
“We are forced into this deduction for a number of reasons. Firstly, eye witness accounts indicated that vehicles and uniforms of the attackers were that of the security agencies. Secondly, the failure of security agencies to confront the attackers further implicated the government.
“We recall with sadness how voices that were opposed to the dictatorial tendencies of Abacha regime were under serious attacks. We recalled how patriots like General Alani Akinrinade, Pa Abraham Adesanya, Pa Alfred Rewane, etc were attacked, resulting in the untimely and gruesome murder of Pa Rewane.”
Afenifere said the attack confirmed that government security agencies have become emboldened in violating the rights of the citizens.
The group also called on the federal government to “stop any plan to harm Igboho or any other person not known to contravene the law of the land”.
