I know politicians sponsoring Oyo kidnappers, I’ll name them — Igboho

Yoruba Nation activist, Sunday Adeyemo, popularly known as Sunday Igboho, has threatened to reveal the identities of politicians allegedly sponsoring kidnappers responsible for the abduction of schoolchildren in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State.

Igboho made the claim while addressing newly elected executives of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), led by Akinteye Babatunde, at his residence in the Soka area of Ibadan on Wednesday.

In a video that has since gone viral, the activist alleged that certain politicians were funding and arming criminal groups operating in the state and warned that he would publicly expose them if they failed to desist from their activities.

“I know the politicians behind them, and if they do not stop perpetrating their evil acts, I will mention them all. They are the ones supplying them with ammunition and money,” Igboho said.

He claimed that he had volunteered to lead efforts to flush the kidnappers out of their hideouts but was prevented from doing so by the Oyo State Government.

According to him, he never demanded financial support from Governor Seyi Makinde’s administration to assist in rescuing the abducted pupils.

“If I am allowed to enter their hideouts, they will flee. They are human beings and can be dislodged. I offered to help, but the state government declined,” he stated.

Igboho further alleged that state officials later informed him that the kidnappers had threatened to kill the abducted children if he attempted a rescue operation.

He insisted that his security operatives were capable of driving criminal elements out of forests across the region if granted the necessary approval.

The activist also disclosed that although the Federal Government approved his security outfit, known as “Iru Ekun,” the Oyo State Government allegedly restricted its operations within the state.

“After I established the Iru Ekun security network, the Federal Government gave approval, but the state government said no security outfit should operate independently. They warned that any attempt by me to rescue the children could endanger their lives,” he said.

Igboho linked the growing insecurity in parts of the country to what he described as efforts by some political actors to undermine the administration of President Bola Tinubu.

“The same thing they did to Jonathan is what they are doing to Tinubu. They want to make the country ungovernable for him through insecurity and propaganda,” he alleged.

He also expressed gratitude to President Tinubu, claiming the President played a role in securing his freedom during his period of exile abroad.

The comments come weeks after gunmen reportedly abducted at least 45 pupils during coordinated attacks on three schools in Oriire Local Government Area on May 15.

The affected schools included Baptist Nursery and Primary School, Yawota; Community Grammar School, Esiele; and L.A. Primary School.

The incident has heightened tension across Oyo State, with security agencies intensifying efforts to track down the abductors, who reportedly escaped into forest areas bordering Oriire communities and the Old Oyo National Park axis.

A teacher at Baptist Nursery and Primary School, Elizabeth Olagoke, had earlier told journalists that the kidnappers communicated in Yoruba, Hausa and Pidgin English during the attack.