DSS frees two remaining Igboho’s aides after 114 days

AFTER 114 days in the custody of the Department of State Services, two remaining aides of the 12 associates of Yoruba Nation agitator, Sunday Adeyemo, well known as Sunday Igboho, have regained their freedom.

They are Amudat Babatunde (female) and Jamiu Oyetunji.

The detainees’ lawyer, Pelumi Olajengbesi, confirmed their release to Saturday PUNCH on Friday.

The DSS had, on July 1, 2021, during a midnight invasion of Igboho’s Soka house in Ibadan, Oyo State, arrested 12 of the activist’s allies and whisked them away to Abuja, where they were detained.

After some initial delays, the secret police, in compliance with a court order, first released eight of the 12 detainees on Monday, August 30, 2021, holding onto the remaining four.

Those earlier released were Abideen Shittu, Abdullateef Onaolapo, Ayobami Donald, Olakunle Oluwapelumi, Dikeola Ademola, Bamidele Sunday, Raji Kazeem, and Taiwo Tajudeen.

Two more detainees were freed on September 3, 2021. They were Tajudeen Arinloye and Uthman Adelabu, while Babatunde (female) and Oyetunji were released on Friday.

Justice Obiora Egwuatu of the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja had on August 4, 2021, granted bail to the 12 detainees.

They had met their bail conditions, including the provision of 24 sureties, but the DSS lawyer, Idowu Awo, had kicked against the bail granted by Justice Egwuatu to four of them, claiming that they were heavily involved in the alleged offense of arms stockpiling and other criminal activities of their boss, Igboho.

247NNU had also reported that the DSS filed terrorism charges against Oyetunji and Babatunde, a female blogger who did a Facebook Live around 2am on July 1, 2021, when the DSS in a joint operation with sister agencies raided Igboho’s residence.

Known as ‘Lady K Ifeoluwa show’ on Facebook, the blogger with over 17,000 followers turned on her Facebook Live at midnight of July 1 during Igboho’s house raid by DSS operatives.

Seated on a bed in a room in one of the apartments in Igboho’s residence in the Soka area of Ibadan, a fear-torn Lady K had made a 12-minute video, alerting the world that DSS operatives had “attacked” the residence of her boss.

Igboho’s spokesman, Olayomi Koiki, had also alleged that the DSS removed the closed-circuit television in his principal’s house after the raid, an allegation the DSS had yet to deny.

Lady K was said to be a member of the media team of the Yoruba Nation arrowhead before the DSS arrested her alongside 11 others during the raid.

The secret police also said its operatives killed two other associates of the activist during a “gun duel”.

In a suit marked FHC/ABJ/CR/305/2021, which was dated August 31, 2021, the DSS through one of its lawyers, S.M. Bello, had filed five terrorism charges against Oyetunji and Babatunde.

The DSS alleged that Oyetunji and Lady K owned firearms for terrorism-related activities while it specifically alleged that Lady K promoted terrorist acts through her Facebook account.