Sunday Igboho’s lawyer writes SSS, demands N500 million damages over house raid

The lawyer of a self-styled Yoruba activist, Sunday Adeyemo, also known as Sunday Igboho, has asked Nigeria’s secret police, SSS, to apologise to his client over the invasion of his home.

The lawyer, Yomi Aliyu, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), also demanded N500 million damages from the security operatives for destroying his Ibadan residence during a midnight raid on Thursday.

His vehicles, including his G-wagon, Prado Jeep, and some valuable properties including furniture, and windows were reportedly destroyed.

The attack occurred barely 72 hours before the planned rally in Lagos by Mr Igboho and others to further canvas a Yoruba nation.

The spokesperson of the SSS, Peter Afunaya, who confirmed the raid in a press conference in Abuja, said a total of seven AK 47 rifles were recovered, alongside pump action guns, 5,000 rounds of ammunition and other weapons.

He said security operatives recovered the weapons after a “hot gun duel between them and Igboho’s guards.”

The SSS also admitted that two of Mr Igboho’s men were killed in the process while a security agent was shot on the right hand and is currently responding to treatment.

Mr Igboho was also declared wanted by the secret police.

Lawyer speaks

Mr Aliyu in a statement released on Saturday titled, ‘Illegal and Grossly Unconstitutional Invasion’ noted that his client has “always preached peace and warned his followers never to have recourse to violence saying that ‘it is God and alale (ancestors) that will fight for Yoruba Nation.”

“There is nowhere in the civilised world that a citizen who had no prior invitation by security agent or had resisted arrest will be so invaded with his rights to dignity of human persons, ownership of property and sanctity of life trampled upon during the invasion.

“No demand to enter was made but rather they shot their way into the house allegedly killing seven people though a DSS spokesman admitted killing two people.”

Mr Aliyu also said the security operatives paraded guns harvested from their armoury with a view to making members of the public to believe that “our client keeps militia or as stated by them, he is waging war on Nigeria. Will this be with his mere amulets? People who know our client of over 20 years will testify that Igboho Oosa does not carry a gun on his person!”

“One thousand euro, two million naira, expensive jewellery worth millions, travel documents, amulets, iPhone 12 belonging to him, phones of about 15 others living in the house including those killed by the raiders and other belongings yet to be identified belonging to his wives were carted away. The only guns were those of the police escorts of his guests.

“We hereby demand that the Federal Government orders an investigation into the actions of the various security operatives led by DSS that raided Chief Sunday Adeyemo’s house with a view to sanctioning them and release all the innocent people arrested and compensate the families of those murdered.

“Our client should also be paid N500 million as reparation for damage to his exotic cars that include Mercedes Benz G-Class and 2019 Lexus Car. We also demand a public apology,” he wrote.