A major crisis was narrowly averted when operatives of the Department of State Services and some men that accompanied a Yoruba activist, Chief Sunday Adeyemo, aka Sunday Igboho, had an encounter on the premises of the palace of the Ataoja of Osogbo, Oba Jimoh Olanipekun, on Saturday.
The incident, which caused panic in the neighborhood, occurred after the Yoruba Nation Rally where Igboho addressed the participants, had been concluded at the Nelson Mandela Freedom Park, Osogbo.
After the rally ended, Igboho and his men reportedly paid the Ataoja of Osogbo a courtesy.
Trouble, however, started when Igboho and his men were exiting the palace, as a DSS operative accused of trailing the group was manhandled.
In a video of the incident obtained by The PUNCH on Sunday, a DSS operative was seen guarding his pistol while Igboho’s supporters mobbed him, after he was accused of trailing them.
As that was being resolved, some DSS operatives standing in one corner of the palace were charged at by some supporters of Igboho, who accused them of firing shots inside the palace of the Ataoja.
In the ensuing melee, several gunshots were heard, as Igboho and his supporters left the premises.
In another video obtained, a man, accused of attempting to write the number plate of the vehicle that brought Igboho to Osogbo, was seen being interrogated.
The man, who gave his name as Olayinka and claimed to be working for the Federal Government, owned up to the allegation that he was caught while attempting to copy the number plate of Igboho’s vehicle.
Meanwhile, organisers of the Yoruba Nation Rally have commended all stakeholders for ensuring that the rally held under a peaceful atmosphere.
A statement by the Director General, Kiriji Heritage Defenders, Dr Ademola Ekundayo, on Sunday, said, “The good reception that the rally enjoyed in midst of average indigenes of the state is a strong signal that this ship of the Yoruba Nation has taken off.”
Copyright PUNCH.
