Yoruba Nation agitator, Chief Sunday Adeyemo, popularly known as Sunday Igboho, has narrated how he survived the July 2021 raid on his Ibadan residence by operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS).
He disclosed that he never fled the house during the operation despite an extensive search by security agents.
Igboho also dismissed longstanding claims that he transformed into a cat to evade arrest, describing the story as false and maintaining that he remained hidden inside the residence until the operatives left.
The activist spoke while hosting a delegation of Muslim clerics at his residence in Ibadan, where he recounted the events surrounding the controversial midnight operation.
According to him, the DSS operatives arrived at about 1:30 a.m. and immediately opened fire after hearing his voice, before forcing their way into the building with explosives.
He said, “When they came around 1:30 a.m., I heard a sound and asked who was there. They started shooting into the room after hearing my voice. When they eventually scaled the fence, they planted dynamite on the burglary proof and it collapsed, giving them access into the house.
“I was naked at the time, but I quickly wore a pair of jeans and a shirt. Part of me wanted to surrender, while another part warned me not to because I believed I would be killed.”
Igboho said he challenged the operatives by asking why they had come to arrest him, adding that they continued firing without actually seeing him.
“At some point, I shouted and asked what had happened and why they had come for me. They kept shooting at close range even though they had not seen me.
“They pointed a gun at my personal assistant, Dudu, and forced him to plead with me to open the door. That made me suspicious. They eventually forced the door open. Some people later spread rumours that I had been shot and escaped with my intestines hanging out,” he said.
The Yoruba Nation campaigner also rejected claims that he escaped by transforming into a cat.
“I did not turn into a cat. They killed a cat because they thought it was me. They even brought someone I considered a fake herbalist to perform rituals and chant incantations in an attempt to locate me. I was watching everything from inside the house, but they never found me,” he said.
Igboho further alleged that one of his relatives, who was partially blind, was shot after security operatives mistook him for an attacker.
“There was my brother who was partially blind. When he came out, they shot him because they thought he wanted to attack them. They took away the bodies to show they had actually invaded my house.
“It was only by the grace of God that I survived. Muslim clerics had earlier prayed for me after saying they foresaw danger,” he added.
The DSS stormed Igboho’s residence in the Soka area of Ibadan in the early hours of July 1, 2021, following months of heightened tension between the Yoruba Nation activist and the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari.
Before the operation, Igboho had gained national prominence after issuing an ultimatum to some Fulani residents in parts of Oyo State, accusing them of involvement in kidnappings and other criminal activities.
He subsequently intensified his campaign for the creation of an independent Yoruba Nation, a movement the Federal Government said posed a threat to national security.
Following the raid, the DSS announced that it recovered firearms and ammunition from the residence, arrested 13 of Igboho’s associates and said two of his aides were killed during what it described as an exchange of gunfire.
Igboho later fled Nigeria but was arrested in Cotonou, Benin Republic, while attempting to travel to Germany. After months of legal proceedings, he was released by Beninese authorities and has since remained in self-exile in the Benin Republic, where he continues to advocate for the Yoruba Nation movement.
