The Police on Monday launched a manhunt for Dupe Onitiri-Abiola, linked to the Oyo State Government Secretariat invasion in Ibadan by suspected Yoruba Nation agitators.
The manhunt began after Onitiri-Abiola, widow of Moshood Abiola, appeared in a video declaring independence for Yoruba nation consisting of six Southwest states.
She made the declaration that the country will be called “Democratic Republic of Yoruba (DRY).”
Onitiri-Abiola, who is a former gubernatorial candidate in Lagos, declared that the DRY came into existence on Friday, April 12, 2024
Abiola was widely believed to be the winner of the 1993 presidential election but was imprisoned by the military junta and died in custody in 1998.
On Saturday, gunmen in military uniform invaded the Oyo State House of Assembly within the secretariat and raised Yoruba nation flag. They tried to enter the governor’s office but were stopped by security forces. The police arrested 21 individuals in connection with the incident.
The police paraded the suspects with their seized weapons, ammunition, and other items in Ibadan on Monday.
Adebola Hamzat, Oyo State police commissioner, who presented the detainees, labeled the event as criminal and treasonous.
Fatai Owoseni, special adviser to the Oyo State governor on security matters, acknowledged Onitiri-Abiola’s leadership of a Yoruba Nation agitator group.
Banji Akintoye, leader of a different Yoruba group, distanced his group from the incident, hinting at Onitiri-Abiola’s involvement.
A video of Onitiri-Abiola emerged online, where she claimed leadership of the group.
Narrating how the incident occurred, the police commissioner said, “At about 8:55 a.m., information was received that some men, dressed in military-like camouflage and armed with pump action semi-automatic rifles, were sighted on motorcycles around Olomi and moving into Ibadan.
“At about 9:15 a.m., the hoodlums, later known as Yoruba Nation Agitation Group, were trailed to the State Secretariat and the premises of the Governor’s Office.
“They hoisted their flag at the House of Assembly, proclaiming the creation of a ‘Democratic Republic of the Yoruba’.
“With police reinforcement, the miscreants were warned to disperse. The agitators turned violent and opened fire on the police and a detachment of Amotekun Corps present.”
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