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BREAKING: Sunday Igboho Set to Name Politicians Linked to Oyo Schoolchildren Kidnap
Yoruba Nation activist, Sunday Adeyemo, popularly known as Sunday Igboho, has threatened to release the names of politicians behind the abduction of students in the Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State.
The activist said this while speaking to the new executive members of the National Association of Nigerian Students led by Akinteye Bàbàtunde at his residence in the Soka area of Ibadan on Wednesday.
In the now-trending video captured by Wisdom TV, Igboho asserted that he had personally volunteered to dislodge the bandits but was met with defiance by the state government.
He also claimed that he had never demanded any money from the Seyi Makinde-led administration to rescue the 47 abductees.
“If I am permitted to burst into the hideouts, they will flee. They are neither gnomes nor mannequins; they are humans, so that they could be dislodged. I know the politicians behind them, and if they do not stop perpetrating their evil acts, I will mention them all. I know them. The politicians behind them are the ones giving them ammunition and money.
“The same thing they did to Jonathan is what they are doing to Tinubu. They want to make the country ungovernable for him. They even have fake news propaganda to scare the masses and divert supporters away from the President. Suppose the recent abduction is not a game. In Oyo, they made away with children. I volunteered to go, but the state government said ‘No.’”
“Later, they (Oyo government) informed me that the kidnappers said if I try to force myself to come rescue the children, they will kill them all. If they are serious about rescuing the victims, they should tell my boys and me to chase them out of the forests in our regions and see if those people will remain there even with their bombs and sophisticated weapons,” he said.
The Oyo-based activist further maintained that after he got approval from the Federal Government for his security network christened “Iru Ekun”, the Oyo State Government warned him from operating and that any attempt by him to rescue the children might lead to their death.
“After I arranged ‘Iru Ekun’ security network, the Federal Government permitted me, but the state government said no security must take a step behind them. Do we have to wait for him to flood the forests to rescue these children? I’m just concerned about these abductees; nobody can kidnap me, not even my family, because they are spread across Canada and Germany. Why should I fret?
“Despite how bad Buhari’s administration is, he completed his tenure. Why are they trying to stop a Yoruba man — Tinubu — from completing his? It was Tinubu who freed me when I was in exile. Why should I tackle him? And why are they trying to ruin his government? Igboho queried.
Recall that on May 15, no fewer than 45 pupils were reportedly abducted during the Friday attack on three schools in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State.
The schools attacked were Baptist Nursery and Primary School, Yawota; Community Grammar School, Esiele; and L.A. Primary School.
Sunday PUNCH gathered that tension is rising in the state following the incident.
Security agencies are also said to have surrounded the possible escape routes of the assailants after they fled into a nearby forest reserve bordering Oriire communities and the Old Oyo National Park axis.
A teacher at Baptist Nursery and Primary School, Yawota, Elizabeth Olagoke, told one of our correspondents that the kidnappers spoke Yoruba, Hausa, and Pidgin English.
After a few days, one of the abducted teachers, Michael Oyedokun, was gruesomely killed.
Oyedokun was beheaded in a new video allegedly released by bandits on Sunday.
The video obtained by our correspondent on Telegram on Monday showed that the teacher was gruesomely killed after being tied and forced to speak.
This development led Igboho to seek approval to launch his security outfit, “Iru Ekun Security Network,” as part of efforts to dislodge criminal elements from the South-West forests.
He also expressed his readiness to comply with the Executive Order recently issued by the Oyo State Government, under the leadership of Governor Seyi Makinde, to regulate the activities of private security firms in the state.
Source: Punch
The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has reportedly stepped up its investigation into former Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Uche Nnaji, over allegations of certificate forgery.
According to a report by Premium Times, the anti-graft agency has begun efforts to locate the former minister after he allegedly failed to honour several invitations issued in connection with the ongoing investigation.
The publication reported that sources familiar with the matter said the ICPC had invited Nnaji for questioning through different channels, including telephone calls, emails and WhatsApp messages, but he did not appear before investigators.
One of the sources quoted by the newspaper claimed that the commission could declare the former minister wanted if attempts to secure his appearance are unsuccessful.
The latest development is said to be part of an investigation that followed a lengthy inquiry by Premium Times into Nnaji’s academic records and National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) documents.
The newspaper had earlier alleged that the former minister submitted forged degree and NYSC certificates during his ministerial screening and confirmation process in 2023.
According to the report, the ICPC has also sought information from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), as part of its investigation.
Another source cited by Premium Times alleged that Nnaji’s failure to respond to the invitations may be linked to his political ambitions ahead of the 2027 governorship election in Enugu State.
The newspaper recently reported that the former minister moved from the All Progressives Congress (APC) to a faction of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and later emerged as its governorship candidate.
Neither Nnaji nor his media aide, Robert Ngwu, had publicly responded to the latest allegations as of the time of filing this report. Premium Times said calls and messages sent to his spokesperson were not answered.
The controversy surrounding the former minister began after investigations into his academic qualifications were published in 2023.
According to the newspaper, Nnaji had approached the Federal High Court in Abuja in a bid to stop the release of his academic records by the University of Nigeria, Nsukka.
However, Premium Times reported that university authorities later informed the newspaper that although Nnaji was admitted into the institution, he did not graduate or obtain the certificate attributed to him.
The publication also stated that the National Youth Service Corps disowned the discharge certificate allegedly presented by the former minister.
Nnaji eventually resigned from his position shortly after the allegations became public.
The matter has continued to attract public attention, with several lawyers and civil society groups calling for a thorough investigation and, where necessary, prosecution in line with the law.
In a related development, POLITICS NIGERIA also reported earlier this year that an investigative panel set up by the Federal Ministry of Education examined the matter as part of a broader review of the allegations surrounding the former minister’s credentials.
The ICPC has yet to release an official public statement detailing the current status of its investigation
Nigeria’s Ministry of Interior is set to declare a nationwide public holiday across all sectors to mark Democracy Day 2026, potentially granting a one-day break for both private and public sector employees.
The federal government’s announcement regarding Democracy Day will be the only national public holiday observed in Nigeria in June 2026.
Democracy Day commemorates the 1993 presidential election and the nation’s struggle for democratic freedom. June 12, 2026, falls on a Friday.
On June 6, 2018, the late former president Muhammadu Buhari, in a public statement, changed the Democracy Day from May 29 to June 12, in honour of the June 12, 1993, presidential election and its winner, Moshood Kashimawo Olawale Abiola, who died in prison.
Abiola was born on August 14, 1937 and passed away under suspicious circumstances on July 7, 1998. A popular Ogun businessman, publisher, and politician of the Egba clan, he is often referred to as MKO Abiola.
He ran for the presidency in 1993 and was widely regarded as the presumed winner of the election, which was annulled by former military head of state, General Ibrahim Babangida.
Some southwest states had been celebrating June 12 as a public holiday and are holding ceremonies in Abiola’s honour until Buhari officially declared the day as Nigeria’s real democracy day. The former president, on Monday, June 10, 2018, signed the Public Holiday Amendment Bill into law.
The law, according to the former president’s ex-senior special assistant on National Assembly Matters (Senate), Ita Enang, allows a public holiday to be declared on June 12 every year, while May 29 is to be a handing-over date.
A top Nigerian monarch, the Emir of Gazargamu in Yobe State, His Royal Highness Alhaji Ahmad Tijjani Ibn Saleh, has died after a prolonged illness.
The monarch passed away on Tuesday in Cairo, Egypt, where he had been receiving medical treatment.
His son, Engr. Tijjani Hamisu Bala, who is the General Manager of the Yobe State Road Maintenance Agency (YORMA), confirmed the development to Daily Trust in Damaturu.
In a statement announcing the death, Bala described the late emir as a father, mentor and traditional ruler whose life was devoted to the service of his people and humanity.
“With profound sorrow and total submission to the will of Almighty Allah, I announce the passing of my beloved father, namesake and traditional ruler, His Royal Highness Alhaji Ahmad Tijjani Ibn Saleh, the Emir of Gazargamu, who returned to his Creator today, June 9, 2026, in Cairo, Egypt, after a protracted illness,” he said.
He said the late emir’s life was marked by wisdom, humility, courage and unwavering dedication to the service of his people.
“His fatherly guidance, leadership and legacy will remain a source of inspiration to us all,” he added.
Bala prayed to Allah to forgive the late monarch’s shortcomings and grant him Al-Jannatul Firdaus; and give the family and the entire emirate strength and patience to bear the painful loss.
As of the time of filing this report, details of the burial arrangements were yet to be announced, while it remained unclear whether the late emir would be buried in Nigeria or in Egypt.
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