Sunday Adeyemo, a youth leader popularly known as Sunday Igboho, has issued a two-hour ultimatum to Fulani elders in his hometown of Igboho in the Oke-Ogun area of Oyo state, demanding the release of residents abducted by suspected bandits on Friday.
Adeyemo spoke on Saturday while addressing Fulani elders at the palace of the town’s monarch.
Speaking in Yoruba, he accused suspected Fulani kidnappers of carrying out a series of abductions in the area, including a recent incident in which a pregnant woman was reportedly killed.
“You cannot be kidnapping people in our fatherland while we fold our arms and do nothing. I am a son of the soil. This is my fatherland,” he said.
According to him, the latest incident involved the abduction of a woman, her children and her sibling, prompting widespread concern among residents.
Adeyemo alleged that the kidnappers initially demanded N300 million as ransom before reducing the amount to N150 million.
He said no ransom would be paid, insisting that the abductors release the victims within two hours.
“I am giving them two hours. They must return the woman, her children and sibling whom they kidnapped overnight. If I don’t see them within those two hours, we will clash,” he said.
He also threatened to invade a forest reserve where, according to him, the kidnappers are camped if the victims are not released.
“That forest reserve where they camp, we are coming there. We will invade that forest. Since they have said they won’t live with us in peace, we too will fight with everything we have,” Adeyemo said.
He urged Fulani leaders in the community to prevail on their children and ensure the release of the abducted persons, alleging that those responsible for the kidnappings were known within the area.
Adeyemo said he had previously refrained from taking action because community elders had not formally complained but added that the latest incident had crossed a line.
The meeting was attended by the community’s traditional ruler, some chiefs and police officers from the divisional police command, while residents watched from outside the palace.
The development comes amid growing public concern over the continued captivity of 39 schoolchildren and seven teachers abducted in the Oriire LGA of Oyo state.
On May 15, bandits had raided three schools in the Ogbomoso axis, killing two people in one of the affected institutions.
On June 4, Adeyemo said Seyi Makinde, governor of Oyo, knows he can rescue the abductees but has refused to give him the necessary backing.
He also alleged that the uptick in insecurity across the country is a “game” being played by politicians, vowing to soon disclose the names of those he claimed are supporting terrorists.
