Yoruba Nation agitator, Sunday Adeyemo, popularly known as Sunday Igboho, has given a fresh account of how he allegedly evaded arrest during the Department of State Services’ raid on his Ibadan residence in July 2021.
Speaking on Monday while receiving a delegation of Muslim leaders at his residence in Ibadan, Igboho claimed he remained inside the house throughout the operation despite armed operatives surrounding the building and searching for him.
He alleged that the operatives mistook a cat for him, killed the animal, and later invited what he described as a “fake herbalist” to perform rituals in an attempt to locate him.
Recounting the early morning raid, Igboho said the operatives arrived around 1:30 a.m. and immediately opened fire after hearing his voice.
“They planted dynamite on the burglary proof and brought down the entrance before gaining access to the house. At that moment, I was naked but quickly put on a pair of jeans and a shirt,” he said.
According to him, he contemplated surrendering but changed his mind, believing he would be killed if he did.
“One part of me wanted to surrender, while another warned me not to because I could be killed. When I asked why they had come, they began shooting at close range without even seeing me,” he alleged.
Igboho further claimed the operatives pointed a gun at the head of his personal assistant, identified as Dudu, while forcing him to persuade him to open the door.
He also dismissed widespread claims that he escaped by transforming into a cat.
“I didn’t turn into a cat. They killed a cat, believing it was me. They even brought someone claiming to be a herbalist who was chanting incantations. I was inside the house watching everything, yet they couldn’t see me,” he said.
The activist alleged that one of his relatives, who was partially blind, was shot after security operatives mistook him for an attacker.
He added that the bodies of those killed during the operation were taken away by the operatives.
Igboho attributed his survival to divine intervention, saying prayers earlier offered by Muslim clerics at his residence protected him from the raid.
“It was God who saved me after prayers were offered over a disturbing revelation about my life,” he said.
The DSS has not responded to Igboho’s latest claims.
The agency had, however, maintained after the July 1, 2021 operation that its personnel recovered firearms and ammunition from the residence and arrested 13 of Igboho’s associates.
The DSS also said two of the activist’s aides died during an exchange of gunfire with its operatives.
The raid followed months of heightened tension between Igboho and the Federal Government under the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari after the activist issued an ultimatum to some Fulani residents in parts of Oyo State over alleged involvement in kidnappings and violent crimes.
Following the operation, Igboho fled Nigeria but was later arrested in Cotonou, Benin Republic, while attempting to travel to Germany.
He was eventually released by Beninese authorities after months of legal proceedings and has since remained in self-exile in the Benin Republic, where he continues to campaign for the creation of an independent Yoruba Nation.
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