The Osun State Police Command has apprehended suspected members of the proscribed Yoruba Nation movement.
The arrests were made known by the Command’s Deputy Public Relations Officer, Giwa-Alade Emmanuel, during a parade of the suspects at the police headquarters in Osogbo on Wednesday.
Among those paraded were 61-year-old Fagbayi Oluwafemi, 63-year-old Joy Faseyiku, and 64-year-old Alabede Janet.
According to Emmanuel, the suspects were arrested for alleged conspiracy, unlawful assembly, secessionist activities, and treasonable felony while addressing traders at the Obada Market in Ikire.
The police spokesperson revealed that the trio had been encouraging traders to abandon their allegiance to Nigeria and support the establishment of a Yoruba Nation.
“They were caught urging market traders to embrace the Yoruba Nation and reject their Nigerian citizenship,” Emmanuel stated.
Providing details of the arrest, Emmanuel said, “On the 27th of August 2024, at about 1400hrs, based on credible information, the Divisional Police Officer of the Ikire Police Division and his team arrested Fagbayi Oluwafemi, a 61-year-old native of Akure, Ondo State, at Obada Market in Ikire.
He was found addressing traders, asking them to support the Yoruba Nation and claiming that Nigeria ceased to exist after 2014, following 100 years of amalgamation. He also displayed the Yoruba Nation flag during his address.”
Following a preliminary investigation, the case was transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID).
Further investigations led to the arrests of Joy Faseyiku and Alabede Janet in Osogbo and Ikire, respectively, for their involvement in the crime.
Items recovered from the suspects include an Oodua Nation flag, a tripod stand, a megaphone, two mobile phones, handbills promoting the Yoruba Nation, and a baseball cap emblazoned with the Oodua Nation logo.
Emmanuel confirmed that the investigation into the matter had been concluded, and the suspects have been charged to the Federal High Court.
The Osun State Police Command reiterated its commitment to ensuring peace and upholding the law, warning individuals and groups against engaging in activities that threaten the sovereignty and unity of Nigeria.
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