Yoruba Nation agitator, Sunday Adeyemo, popularly known as Sunday Igboho, has threatened to reveal the identities of individuals he claimed were behind the recent abduction of students in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State if the attacks persist.
Igboho made the remarks on Wednesday while receiving newly elected executives of the National Association of Nigerian Students, led by Akinteye Babatunde, at his residence in the Soka area of Ibadan.
In a video that has since gained traction on social media, the activist alleged that some politicians were aiding criminal groups responsible for kidnappings and other violent activities in the region.
According to him, he possesses information about those allegedly sponsoring the criminals and would make it public if the situation continued unchecked.
He also maintained that he had offered to assist in efforts to rescue the abducted students but was allegedly discouraged from intervening by the Oyo State Government.
Igboho further denied reports suggesting that he demanded financial support from the state government before participating in rescue operations.
The activist insisted that armed groups occupying forests in parts of the South-West could be dislodged if local security operatives were allowed to confront them directly.
He claimed that government officials later informed him that the kidnappers had threatened to harm the captives if he attempted to launch an independent rescue mission.
Speaking on his proposed security outfit, Iru Ekun Security Network, Igboho said he secured federal approval for the initiative but alleged that state authorities restricted its operations.
He argued that local security networks should be empowered to complement ongoing efforts against kidnapping and other violent crimes.
The activist also linked the growing insecurity in parts of the country to what he described as attempts by political actors to undermine the administration of President Bola Tinubu.
He praised the President for assisting him during his period of exile and questioned what he described as efforts to destabilise the current government.
The controversy comes amid heightened concern over the abduction of scores of pupils and teachers during an attack on three schools in Oriire Local Government Area on May 15.
The affected institutions were Baptist Nursery and Primary School, Yawota; Community Grammar School, Esiele; and L.A. Primary School.
Security agencies subsequently intensified operations around forest corridors and escape routes believed to have been used by the attackers.
A teacher at one of the affected schools, Elizabeth Olagoke, had earlier disclosed that the gunmen communicated in Yoruba, Hausa and Pidgin English during the attack.
The incident took a tragic turn after one of the abducted teachers, Michael Oyedokun, was reportedly killed by his captors.
The killing, which surfaced in a video circulated online, sparked renewed calls for stronger action against criminal groups operating within forested areas of the state.
Igboho, however, reiterated his readiness to work within the framework of existing regulations and comply with the Executive Order introduced by Governor Seyi Makinde to oversee the activities of private security organisations in Oyo State.
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