Five of the about 20 secessionist’ Yoruba Nation Agitators who hijacked Amuludun 99.1 FM in Ibadan, Oyo State in the early hours of Sunday and declared “Yoruba People Have Been Freed,” have been arrested.
The radio station, owned by the Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN), was hijacked around 5.30am on Sunday.
The radio station is situated at J&P Area of Moniya in Akinyele Local Government Area of Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria.
The agitators wore green polo shirts, while others also wore black polo shirts. The green shirts have ‘Yoruba Nation Army’ on their back as inscriptions, while the black shirts also have on their back inscriptions: Yoruba Nation Police.
The suspects invaded the station with various forms of charms, collected all the valuables of the staff on duty, including their mobile handsets thereby making it impossible for them to communicate with the outside world.
They then took over the station with the leader of the secessionists heading straight to the broadcast studio and was on air for almost one hour.
The staff of the radio station that was on duty were held hostage before the agitators were overpowered by combined security agencies.
The hijackers, during the siege, transmitted their prepared agenda live, saying the Yoruba nation is no longer part of Nigeria and that the United Nations (UN) would announce the Yoruba nation as a sovereign country soon.
A source said: “The hijackers had their way into the live studio of our station when the sponsored programme was ongoing. The hijackers entered the studio and took over. After they took over the live studio, they started broadcasting. They said many things, including Oodua Nation has come to stay. Yoruba is no more under the Federal Republic of Nigeria. United Nations will soon declare Oodua Nation. The agitators were on the air for about one hour.”
According to the leader of the hijack team, on live broadcast: “We are being sent to inform the people that Yoruba people have been freed. Henceforth, no more to Police and Army harassment. We are hereby calling for the release of our brothers and sisters that are serving jail term.
“We are neither here to harass nor injure anybody. We are here for peace.”
However, the swift response of Policemen from the Moniya Divisional Police headquarters and Moniya Area Command; Oyo Station Joint Security Patrol team codenamed, Operation Burst; and soldiers from 2 Division of Nigerian Army, Odoogbo, Ojoo, Ibadan, terminated the siege by the hijackers.
The security agencies were able to arrest five of the suspects, who were taken to the Oyo State Police Command, Eleyele, Ibadan.
Oyo State Commissioner of Police, Adebowale Williams, confirmed that five of the suspected agitators have been arrested.
His words, “At about 0600hrs the valiant and eagle eyed Operatives of the Command while on intelligence driven patrols intercepted a distress call about some members of a group driven by a separatist agenda who had forcefully hijacked a Radio Broadcast Station, Amuludun 99.1 FM located around Moniya,Ibadan with the intent to declare liberation from the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”
