Troops of the Nigerian Army have arrested nine adherents of the Yoruba nation following a gun battle in Oyo State, News About Nigeria reports.
The incident occurred on Saturday morning when reports surfaced of Yoruba nation agitators invading the Oyo State government secretariat in the Agodi area of Ibadan, the state capital.
According to eyewitness accounts, the agitators reportedly occupied the state Assembly complex and attempted to overpower security operatives stationed there.
They were said to have removed the Nigerian flag within the Assembly complex and hoisted their own flag.
In response to the situation, troops of the Nigerian Army promptly engaged the agitators upon sighting them at the secretariat.
The agitators, dressed in foreign military camouflage with berets and armed with weapons, engaged the troops in a shootout.
In a statement issued by the Director of Army Public Relations, Maj. Gen. Onyema Nwachukwu, it was revealed that the troops overpowered the agitators, leading to the arrest of nine individuals, while others managed to escape.
The statement read, “Upon encountering their troops, the Yoruba nation adherents engaged the troops in a shootout. Troops, utilizing superior firepower, successfully subdued the attackers, who subsequently retreated in disarray. As a result of this engagement, nine members of the irredentist group were apprehended.”
Additionally, a semi-automatic pump-action rifle and ammunition were recovered from the apprehended agitators.
Efforts to apprehend fleeing members of the group are currently underway, according to the statement.
“We assure members of the public that all necessary measures are being taken to ensure the safety and security of the general area,” Maj. Gen. Nwachukwu assured.
He urged citizens to remain calm and vigilant, while also advising them to report any suspicious activities to security agencies.
Notably, key Yoruba Nation activists, Sunday Adeyemo (popularly known as Sunday Igboho) and Professor Banji Akintoye, have publicly disassociated themselves from the invasion of the Oyo State Government Secretariat by the agitators.
