Yoruba Nation agitator Sunday Adeyemo, popularly known as Sunday Igboho, has claimed he knows the politicians allegedly backing criminal groups responsible for the abduction of students and teachers in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State.
Igboho made the allegation while addressing newly elected executives of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) led by Akinteye Babatunde at his residence in the Soka area of Ibadan.
Speaking in a video that has since gone viral, the activist threatened to publicly reveal the identities of the politicians if the attacks and support for criminal elements continue.
“I know the politicians behind them, and if they do not stop perpetrating their evil acts, I will mention them all,” Igboho said. “The politicians behind them are the ones giving them ammunition and money.”
The activist claimed he had volunteered to assist in efforts to rescue the abducted students but was allegedly prevented from doing so by the Oyo State Government. According to him, authorities later informed him that the kidnappers had threatened to kill the victims if he attempted to intervene.
Igboho maintained that his proposed intervention would have forced the criminals out of their hideouts, insisting that armed groups operating in the forests could be dislodged through decisive action.
“If I am permitted to burst into the hideouts, they will flee. They are neither gnomes nor mannequins; they are humans,” he stated.
He further alleged that some political actors were deliberately working to destabilise the administration of President Bola Tinubu, drawing comparisons with security challenges experienced during the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan.
“The same thing they did to Jonathan is what they are doing to Tinubu. They want to make the country ungovernable for him,” he claimed.
Igboho also defended his decision not to criticise the President, noting that Tinubu played a role in securing his freedom while he was in exile. He questioned what he described as efforts to undermine a government led by a Yoruba president.
The activist disclosed that he had sought to deploy his proposed security outfit, Iru Ekun Security Network, to assist in flushing out criminal gangs from forests across the South-West. He said the Federal Government had granted approval for the initiative, but claimed state authorities restricted its operations.
His comments come amid heightened concern over the May 15 attack on three schools in Oriire Local Government Area, where dozens of students and teachers were reportedly abducted by armed men.
The incident sparked outrage across the country, particularly after one of the abducted teachers, Michael Oyedokun, was reportedly killed by the kidnappers. Security agencies have since intensified operations around forest corridors and border communities in a bid to secure the release of the remaining victims.
As of the time of filing this report, the Oyo State Government had not publicly responded to Igboho’s allegations regarding political sponsorship of the kidnappers or his claims about being prevented from participating in rescue efforts.
