Sunday Igboho: DSS Killed a Cat Thinking It was Me During 2021 Raid on My Residence

Sunday Adeyemo, popularly known as Sunday Igboho, says operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) killed a cat during a raid on his Ibadan residence in July 2021 after mistaking it for him.

Speaking on Monday at his residence in Ibadan, the Oyo state, while hosting a delegation of Muslim clerics, Igboho also alleged that the DSS operatives brought a “fake herbalist” to perform rituals in an attempt to locate him during the operation.

Igboho said he remained inside the house throughout the operation despite the presence of security operatives around the property.

“I didn’t turn into a cat. They even killed it, thinking it was me,” he said.

“They even brought a fake herbalist who was making incantations. I was in the house watching them, but they didn’t see me.

According to him, the operatives stormed his residence at about 1:30am and opened fire after hearing his voice.

He said the operatives later scaled the fence and forced their way into the house by detonating explosives at the burglary-proof entrance.

Igboho said he considered surrendering but changed his mind because he believed the operatives would kill him.

He also alleged that the DSS operatives pointed a gun at the head of his personal assistant, identified as Dudu, and used him to demand that he open the door.

The activist further alleged that a partially blind relative was shot after operatives reportedly mistook him for an attacker.

Igboho attributed his escape to divine intervention, saying prayers offered by Muslim clerics for his safety helped save his life.

The DSS operatives raided Igboho’s residence in the Soka area of Ibadan amid heightened tensions between the activist and the administration of the late former President Muhammadu Buhari.

Before the raid, Igboho had gained national prominence after issuing an ultimatum to some Fulani residents in parts of Oyo state, accusing them of involvement in kidnapping and other violent crimes.

He later intensified his campaign for the creation of an independent Yoruba nation, prompting the federal government to move against him.

Following the raid, the DSS said it recovered firearms and ammunition from the residence and arrested 13 of Igboho’s associates. 

The agency also said two of his aides were killed in an exchange of gunfire.

Igboho subsequently fled Nigeria and was arrested in Cotonou, Benin Republic, while attempting to travel to Germany.

After several months of legal proceedings, he was released by Beninese authorities and has since remained in self-imposed exile, from where he continues to advocate for the Yoruba Nation movement.