The assault on the home of Sunday Igboho has been hailed by President Muhammadu Buhari.
Muhammadu Buhari
Nigeria's President Muhammadu Buhari has hailed the raid on the home of Yoruba activist, Sunday Igbo.
Providing reason for the raid, the government accused Igboho of being a militant ethnic secessionist.
In a statement on Tuesday, Malam Garba Shehu, on behalf of President Buhari, accused Igboho, who has been canvassing for a Yoruba Nation, of “conducting acts of terror and disturbing the peace under the guise of protecting fellow “kinsmen”.
“His seditious utterances and antics, which he is known to have publicly expressed, have overtime morphed into very hateful and vile laden speeches”, Shehu said.
“It must be highlighted that the government respects fundamental rights of citizens to express their views and recognizes this as a democratic tenet.
“However, any attempt to build an armoury coupled with plans either subtle or expressed to undermine our unity as a nation will not be condoned”.
The reference to armoury was in relation to the 10 guns the DSS claimed it got from Igboho’s home in Ibadan.
The DSS also claimed its operatives were attacked first and they responded killing two persons. The agency also arrested 13 people, including a woman.
“Mr. President’s directives to Security Services regarding anyone seen to be carrying arms, particularly AK-47 are clear and require no further illumination”, Shehu said in the statement.
“Assault weapons are not tools of peace loving people and as such, regardless of who they are and where they are from, the Security Agencies should treat them all the same”.
The president’s statement commended the security agencies for demonstrating “significant deftness, guile and secrecy in carrying out these missions”.
“This level of professionalism must be sustained and brought to bear as we focus on extracting from our society those who have found a new trade in targeting students, rural dwellers and our citizens in the North-West.
“The nation recognizes their efforts and sacrifice”, it concluded.