Mrs. Dupe Onitiri-Abiola is wanted by police for allegedly supporting the Yoruba Nation agitators’ invasion of the Oyo State Government Secretariat.
Mrs. Onitiri-Abiola, the widow of late Chief Moshood Abiola, claimed responsibility for the assault in a viral video.
On Saturday, agitators armed with firearms and dressed in military camouflage attempted to break security at the state House of Assembly and the governor’s office.
Police Commissioner Adebola Hamzat branded the incursion as a treasonable criminal and terrorism, and promised punishment.
Though the police did not officially name Mrs. Onitiri-Abiola, the state’s Special Adviser on Security, Mr. Fatai Owoseni, hinted at her involvement.
Mrs. Onitiri-Abiola later released a viral video claiming leadership of the group on social media.
Professor Banji Akintoye also indirectly blamed her Yoruba group for the disaster. Mrs. Onitiri-Abiola’s video confession further implicated her.
Police responded to the invasion by collecting firearms and detaining 21 individuals. Hamzat stressed Nigeria’s unity while warning against spreading instability.
The police chief explained what transpired on Saturday, saying: “At about 8:55 a.m., information was received that several guys, clothed in military-like camouflage and armed with pump action semi-automatic weapons, were spotted on motorcycles around Olomi and going toward Ibadan.
“At around 9:15 a.m., the hoodlums, later known as the Yoruba Nation Agitation Group, were pursued to the State Secretariat and the Governor’s Office.
“They raised their flag before the House of Assembly, proclaiming the establishment of a ‘Democratic Republic of the Yoruba’.
“With police reinforcement, the miscreants were told to disperse. The agitators became aggressive and opened fire on the police and a detachment of the Amotekun Corps.”
The commissioner stated that the police responded and were joined by operatives from other security agencies, who suppressed the treachery.
However, Fatai Owoseni, the Special Adviser to the Governor of Oyo State on Security, stated that Onitiri-Abiola leads another separatist organization.
Owoseni, who appeared on national television, stated that the woman has lived there for over three decades.
Owoseni responded to Prof. Banji Akintoye’s remark claiming that Onitiri-Abiola was responsible for the Saturday event, saying, “The woman has been there. She was present even throughout the reign of the late Bashorun Kashimawo Abiola.
“She has spoken up at one point or another. This confirms the rise of the separatist parties I mentioned.
“Some of these people read the United Nations Conventions Charter wrongly and everyone wants to take advantage of such an act.”
Owoseni, a former Lagos State Commissioner of Police, stated that the Federal Government is already concerned about the country’s security condition and is working to address it.
