Yoruba Nation campaigner, Sunday Adeyemo, popularly known as Sunday Igboho, has disclosed how he escaped arrest during the Department of State Services (DSS) raid on his Ibadan residence in July 2021, insisting that he never fled the house but remained indoors throughout the operation without being detected.
Igboho made the revelation on Monday while receiving a delegation of Muslim clerics at his residence in Ibadan, where he recounted his version of the dramatic overnight operation carried out by DSS operatives.
According to him, the security agents stormed his residence at about 1:30 a.m., firing shots after hearing his voice before forcing their way into the building with explosives.
He said he was initially torn between surrendering and hiding, believing that surrendering could have cost him his life.
“One mind was telling me to surrender to them; the other was telling me not to surrender, else I would be killed,” he said.
Igboho alleged that after gaining entry into the house, the operatives searched extensively for him but were unable to locate him despite his claim that he remained inside the residence throughout the raid.
He also denied the long-standing rumour that he transformed into a cat to escape arrest.
“I didn’t turn into a cat. They even killed it, thinking it was me. They even brought a fake herbalist who was making incantations and performing rituals. I was in the house watching them, but they didn’t see me,” he claimed.
The Yoruba Nation agitator further alleged that one of his relatives, who was partially blind, was shot after the operatives mistook him for someone attempting to attack them.
According to him, the bodies of those killed during the operation were taken away by the security agents.
Igboho attributed his survival to divine intervention, saying prayers previously offered by Muslim clerics helped avert what they had warned would be a tragic incident.
The DSS conducted the controversial raid on Igboho’s residence in the Soka area of Ibadan on July 1, 2021, following months of heightened tension between the activist and the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari.
Before the operation, Igboho had attracted national attention after issuing an ultimatum to some Fulani residents in parts of Oyo State, accusing them of involvement in kidnapping and other criminal activities. He subsequently intensified his campaign for an independent Yoruba Nation.
At the time, the Federal Government maintained that some of his activities posed a threat to national security and launched efforts to arrest him.
Following the raid, the DSS announced that it recovered firearms and ammunition from the residence, arrested 13 of Igboho’s associates, and stated that 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 several months of legal proceedings, Beninese authorities ordered his release. Since then, he has remained in self-imposed exile in the Benin Republic, where he continues to advocate for the creation of a Yoruba Nation.