ENUGU, Nigeria (VOICE OF NAIJA)- Yoruba Nation agitator Sunday Adeyemo, popularly known as Sunday Igboho, has threatened to reveal the identities of politicians allegedly sponsoring the recent abduction of students in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State if the attacks continue.
Igboho made the declaration on Wednesday while receiving newly elected executives of the National Association of Nigerian Students, led by Akinteye Babatunde, at his residence in the Soka area of Ibadan.
In a video that has since gone viral, the activist claimed he volunteered to lead an operation against the kidnappers but was prevented from doing so by the Oyo State Government.
He also denied ever demanding financial support from the administration of Governor Seyi Makinde to rescue the abducted victims.
According to him, the criminals operating in the forests could easily be flushed out if authorities allowed him and his men to act.
“If I am permitted to burst into the hideouts, they will flee. They are neither gnomes nor mannequins; they are humans, so that they could be dislodged. I know the politicians behind them, and if they do not stop perpetrating their evil acts, I will mention them all. I know them. The politicians behind them are the ones giving them ammunition and money,” he said.
Igboho further alleged that certain political actors were deliberately working to destabilise the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu through insecurity and propaganda.
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“The same thing they did to Jonathan is what they are doing to Tinubu. They want to make the country ungovernable for him. They even have fake news propaganda to scare the masses and divert supporters away from the President,” he stated.
Referring to the recent school abductions in Oyo State, Igboho said he had offered to assist in rescuing the victims but was informed that any attempt by him to intervene could put the lives of the children at greater risk.
“Later, they informed me that the kidnappers said if I try to force myself to come rescue the children, they will kill them all. If they are serious about rescuing the victims, they should tell my boys and me to chase them out of the forests in our regions and see if those people will remain there even with their bombs and sophisticated weapons,” he said.
The activist also revealed that despite obtaining federal approval for his proposed security outfit, the Iru Ekun Security Network, the state government allegedly barred the group from operating independently in the rescue effort.
“After I arranged Iru Ekun security network, the Federal Government permitted me, but the state government said no security must take a step behind them. Do we have to wait for him to flood the forests to rescue these children?” he queried.
Igboho insisted that his intervention was motivated solely by concern for the abducted victims, stressing that neither he nor his family members were under threat.
He also questioned why some political interests were allegedly attempting to undermine Tinubu’s government, recalling that the President supported him during his period of exile.
“It was Tinubu who freed me when I was in exile. Why should I tackle him? And why are they trying to ruin his government?” he asked.
The remarks come amid growing tension in Oyo State following the May 15 abduction of at least 45 pupils and staff members from three schools in Oriire Local Government Area.
The affected institutions were Baptist Nursery and Primary School, Yawota; Community Grammar School, Esiele; and L.A. Primary School.
Security agencies have since intensified operations around possible escape routes used by the kidnappers, particularly within forest areas bordering Oriire communities and the Old Oyo National Park axis.
A teacher at Baptist Nursery and Primary School, Elizabeth Olagoke, had earlier disclosed that the attackers communicated in Yoruba, Hausa and Pidgin English during the raid.
Public outrage deepened after one of the abducted teachers, Michael Oyedokun, was reportedly killed by the kidnappers. A video circulated online allegedly showed the teacher being forced to speak before he was murdered.
Following the incident, Igboho renewed calls for the deployment of the Iru Ekun Security Network to combat criminal elements operating in forests across the South-West, while expressing willingness to comply with the Executive Order introduced by the Oyo State Government to regulate private security organisations.