Tension in Lagos over planned Yoruba nation rally

There is palpable tension around the Lagos metropolis over the decision of members of the Ilana Omo Oodua, a secessionist group, to stage a mega rally in the state on Saturday. Members of the group had said the mega rally would be held at the Gani Fawehinmi Freedom Park at Ojota. How El-Rufai ‘secretly’ withdrew […]

There is palpable tension around the Lagos metropolis over the decision of members of the Ilana Omo Oodua, a secessionist group, to stage a mega rally in the state on Saturday.

Members of the group had said the mega rally would be held at the Gani Fawehinmi Freedom Park at Ojota.

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A Yoruba nation agitator, Sunday Adeyemo, popularly known as Sunday Igboho, also said the rally should go ahead, contrary to his earlier interview on Thursday when he announced the suspension of the event, hours after security operatives led by the Department of State Service (DSS), raided his Soka residence in Ibadan, Oyo State.

Igboho, through his spokesman, Olayomi Koiki, said the rally would go ahead as planned at Ojota, Lagos by 9:00 am.

However, Daily Trust gathered that he will not participate in the rally.

Igboho was on Friday declared wanted by the DSS, which paraded some of his allies arrested during the raid.

The insistence on going ahead with the rally is despite a warning by the state police command that it would not entertain any rally in the state.

In anticipation that the group might go ahead with the planned rally, the Lagos State police command and other security agencies, yesterday embarked on a show of force around the metropolis to confirm their preparedness and commitment to protecting the lives and property of the people.

It was gathered yesterday that the state government is making frantic efforts to dissuade members of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) and the Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria (RTEAN), who are said to be the major supporters of Igboho, from participating in the rally.

A top source disclosed that the government had reached out to some key members of the union, urging them not to join the rally.

However, it was learnt that some members of the different transport unions have concluded plans to join in the rally.

Some traders at Alade Market, Ikeja, said they would not open for business on Saturday following the planned rally as they would not want to be caught up in the crossfire between protesters and security operatives.

Meanwhile, security agencies have taken over the Soka residence of Sunday Igboho. However, his whereabouts remained unknown as at the time of filing this report.

 

Abiodun Alade, Eugene Agha & Abdullateef Aliyu, Lagos and Jeremiah Oke, Ibadan