Police Arrest Five as Yoruba Nation Agitators Hijack Radio Station in Ibadan

Kemi Olaitan in Ibadan and Sunday Ehigiator in Lagos

Some people suspected to be Yoruba Nation agitators, in the early hours of yesterday, seized Radio Nigeria, Amuludun FM 99.1 in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, taking over broadcast for more than one hour.
It was learnt that the agitators, who besieged the station around 5:40 am in an 18-seater bus, were armed with dangerous weapons and charms, threatening to deal decisively with any staff member who refused to cooperate with them.

However, the state Police Command disclosed that it has arrested five suspects in connection with the hijacking of the radio station
It was gathered that one of the arrested agitators, who sustained gunshot wounds, had rushed into the studio to tell others that security operatives had taken over the nooks and crannies of the station with blood stain seen in the studio.
It was further learnt that after holding some night duty staff and security guards hostage, the agitators hijacked the studio and announced live on radio “Welcome to Yoruba Nation”, threatening staff members to remove all Nigeria flags in the station and replace them with Yoruba Nation flags, saying they had already taken over the Government Secretariat, Agodi, Ibadan.

The swift response of policemen from the Moniya Divisional Police headquarters and Moniya Area Command; Oyo Station Joint Security Patrol team codenamed, Operation Burst; and soldiers from 2 Division of Nigerian Army, Odoogbo, Ojoo, Ibadan, terminated the siege laid by the hijackers.
They had responded to distress calls from critical stallholders. The security agencies were able to arrest five of the suspects, who have been taken to the Oyo State Police Command, Eleyele, Ibadan, where they were paraded yesterday.

It was further gathered that they initially hijacked some commercial vehicles (Micra) to block the main road
The most senior staff on duty, Ajayi Omotola, speaking on the incident, said “They told us that they are Yoruba Nation agitators. And on their T-shirt, there were that inscription there. They wrote Yoruba Nation. Only six persons came inside the studio with different charms threatening to kill us if we failed to cooperate. Others were outside manning security at different areas within the premises.

“They collected all our phones and threatened to kill us if we made any noise or phone calls. They said they wanted to broadcast live that Yoruba Nation has taken over. We should remove all Nigeria flags in our studio and replace it with their own. They didn’t allow anybody to go outside.
“The Area Commander came, addressed and even pleaded with them but they ignored him. We later heard sporadic shooting outside. So, one of our staff members then came inside to inform us that police and soldiers had arrived.”

Normalcy has however returned to the station with stern-looking security operatives on standbys.
Meanwhile, the state Police Command yesterday, paraded five suspects arrested in connection with the hijacking of the radio station.
The state Police Commissioner, Adebowale Williams, while parading the suspects including one woman, Noah Atoyebi, Gbenga Adeleke, Abdulganiyu Kolawole, Bashiru Kehinde and Elija Fajola, said their intention was to declare liberation from the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

He said he had detailed an investigation team led by the Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of the State Criminal Investigation Department to demystify circumstances around the incident and as well expand the network of arrests through thorough, painstaking intelligence driven investigation.
While declaring the act as criminal, unpatriotic and a clear case of terrorism which would be meted with adequate sanctions under the laws of the land, the CP assured the citizens of the state that the security architecture of the Command in concert with relevant sister agencies has been strategically modified for optimum effectiveness not only for the epoch making ceremony of the second term inauguration of Governor Seyi Makinde but beyond.

The CP also charged parents, guardians and leaders who wield various degrees of influence to prevail on their children, wards and proteges against being used to disrupt the event as heavy sanctions await defaulters and other unpatriotic elements sharing the same sinister motives.
In the meantime, the leader of the umbrella body of Yoruba Nation Self Determination Struggle, Emeritus Prof. Banji Akintoye, has condemned the invasion of the radio station, describing their action as lawless and profoundly criminal.
Akintoye in a statement by his Assistant Director of Programmes, Dr. Olatunde Amusat, said the group led by a woman which carried out the action had been warned repeatedly to stop engaging in criminal activity but they refused to change, stating that the Yoruba Self Determination led by him runs a struggle that is totally peaceful and law abiding.

The statement read in part, “We have even written a 34-page manual to guide our followers and all Yoruba people about peaceful and law abiding self-determination struggle. We have written to the outgoing President of Nigeria and to the Secretary General of the United Nations about our legitimate demand for self-determination for our Yoruba nation.
“We have emphasised in every one of those letters that our struggle is peaceful and law abiding.

“We have no relationship whatsoever with the group that has repeatedly engaged in crime and we have no hands in their criminal conduct.”