Armed thugs loyal to self-styled Yoruba activist, Sunday Igboho, Saturday assaulted officials believed to be from the State Security Service (SSS) on Saturday during the Yoruba Nation rally in Osogbo, Osun State.
This newspaper obtained a 21 minutes video clip of the assault on the security operatives who were maintaining order at the palace of Ataoja of Osogbo, Jimoh Olanipekun.
PREMIUM TIMES could not independently verify the identities of the officials from the video and an SSS spokesperson did not immediately respond to enquiries. But the thugs who attacked the officials could be heard calling them ‘DSS’ officials even as they assaulted them. The SSS is also known as DSS.
The incident occurred when Mr Igboho (whose real name is Sunday Adeyemo) and armed thugs were leaving the palace of the monarch. The thugs accused the SSS officials of ‘trailing’ Mr Igboho.
Assault
From the video, the thugs were seen attacking the security officials. They also manhandled at least two of them. Sources within the secret police told our correspondent that some of their operatives sustained injuries from the attack.
A security official was also seen guarding his pistol while Mr Igboho’s thugs mobbed him.
PREMIUM TIMES reports that residents, who said they also witnessed the incident said it took the maturity and professionalism of the SSS officials for a bloody confrontation to be averted.
The thugs later drove through the streets of Osogbo, shooting sporadically into the air and urging residents not to vote in 2023.