Amidst controversy over the attacked of the Oyo State Assembly secretariat, the Yoruba Nation activist Chief Sunday Adeyemo, popularly known as Sunday Igboho, and the leader of the Ilana Omo Oodua movement, Professor Banji Akintoye, on Saturday, distanced themselves and broken away from the Yoruba Nation agitators.
On Saturday some alleged Yoruba Nation agitators invaded the Oyo State Government Secretariat, Agodi in Ibadan, the state capital.
Eyewitnesses had said that the masked men were stationed at different locations within the area.
This situation, according to investigation, sent panic to the residents and road users along the routes.
Speaking in an interview on Saturday, Akintoye said, “I am not connected and I do not know anything about what they are doing. I hear that they are engaged in some sort of insanity in Ibadan but that’s entirely them. It has nothing to do with Chief Sunday Igboho (Adeyemo). These are the authentic Yoruba Nation group. We are not with people who are working for the Fulani.”
Also Igboho in the same interview said in Yoruba, “I don’t know anything about it. If we want to do a rally or go out for struggle, we make a public announcement and we cooperate. So anything going on about attacking the government house, I don’t know anything about it.”
Businesses and residents around Bodija, Ikolaba, and Awolowo were said to have quickly locked their shops and doors as some who were about to open for the day’s business turned back.
It was further learnt that the security operatives on duty at the secretariat were shocked as they were unable to disperse the agitators until the arrival of policemen from the state command and other anti-crime agencies in conjunction with members of the Nigerian Army, 2 Division, who demobilised them.
Operatives of the state security network codenamed Amotekun were also said to have been on the ground.
Motorists plying the route were said to have been making a detour as many other road users scampered to safety.
Road users en route Secretariat were diverted along Customs Junction as the Secretariat-Queen Elizabeth Road had been cut off traffic.
It was gathered that the efforts of the Executive Assistant to the Governor on Security, CP Sunday Odukoya (retd.), to calm the situation were futile, as the agitators insisted on hoisting their flag within the Secretariat.
