THE Nigerian military and police have arrested four Yoruba agitators who participated in an early morning hijack of Radio Nigeria, Amuludun 99.1 FM in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, on Sunday, May 28.
According to the Punch newspaper, the agitators stormed the station, located at J&P Bus-stop, Moniya in Akinyele Local Government Area of the state capital in a 18-seater bus, armed with charms and other weapons.
They took over broadcast for more than an hour, after holding staff on duty captive.
They threatened to kill the workers if they scream or attempt to make any call about the invasion.
Besides, they asked the workers to remove the Nigerian flags hung in the building and replace them with the Yoruba nation flag that they brought.
All the agitators wore shirts bearing the ‘Yoruba Nation’s inscription.
There was at least a woman among them.
Only six of the invaders entered the radio studio to make a declaration, including “welcome to Yoruba Nation.”
Others kept watch over the building.
To ensure the operation was successful, they reportedly hijacked some commercial vehicles from their owners within the vicinity, which they used to block the roads leading to the area.
But luck soon ran out of them as military and police officers trooped in and surrounded the premises.
They were able to arrest four of the agitators, while others fled, and were yet to be apprehended as of press time.
The most senior worker on duty at the station, Ajayi Omotola, narrated the invasion, “They told us that they are Yoruba Nation agitators. And in their T-shirt, there was that inscription there. They wrote Yoruba Nation. Only six persons came inside the studio with different charms threatening to kill us if we failed to cooperate. Others were outside manning security at different areas within the premises.
“They collected all our phones and threatened to kill us if we made any noise or phone calls. They said they wanted to broadcast live that Yoruba Nation has taken over. We should remove all Nigeria flags in our studio and replace it with their own.
“They didn’t allow anybody to go outside. The Area Commander came, addressed and even pleaded with them but they ignored him. We later heard sporadic shooting outside. So, one of our staff members then came inside to inform us that police and soldiers had arrived.”
Peace has returned to the area as gun-wielding soldiers and police officers and about a score military vehicles have been deployed to the area.
The incident occurred a day before the President-elect, a Yoruba man, takes oath of office as Nigeria’s president.
Agitation for Yoruba nation has been led by two major people in the South-West, populated by the Yorubas.
They are Sunday Igboho and Banji Akintoye, a professor.
In 2022, Igboho was arrested in Benin Republic while fleeing Nigeria for Germany after he had been involved in activities the Federal Government considered treasonable.
He was detained for several weeks before a court released him. He has since not returned to Nigeria.
