IBADAN — For Damola Olawale Oyebamiji, a member of the Yoruba Nation Self-Determination Movement in Oyo State, life has turned into a harrowing ordeal of narrow escapes, constant flight, and profound personal loss as state security operatives intensify actions against him and his family.
Speaking to newsmen, a family source reveals that men of Department of State Security (DSS) raided their residence at Ibadan looking for Oyebamiji, who have fled for safety since last year after several attempts were made on his life.
According to the family source, who spoke on condition of anonymity said that this his the third time they have raided their family home in search of Oyebamiji this year alone, and this latest one happened three days ago,
He said that the security personnel manhandled and terrorized the occupants of the house .
The source also reveals that Oyebamiji’s plight highlights the escalating crackdown on Yoruba self-determination activists across southwestern Nigeria.
The crackdown intensified in July 2021, when officers from Nigeria’s Department of State Services (DSS) launched a violent midnight raid on the Sooka, Ibadan, Oyo State residence of Yoruba Nation leader, Chief Sunday Adeyemo, also known as Sunday Igboho. The assault left several supporters dead, many injured, and dozens arrested. Shortly after, Igboho was intercepted and arrested on July 19, 2021, at the Cotonou airport in Benin Republic while attempting to flee.
Following the July 2021 raid, security agencies launched a widespread manhunt for Igboho’s associates and supporters, driving many into hiding or exile.
According to the family source, Oyebamiji’s ordeal escalated further in May 2023. While returning from a covert Yoruba Nation meeting, Oyebamiji attempted to sneak into his residence, he spotting armed security officers in his compound, and he drove off quickly. The operatives chased him and opened fire on his moving vehicle, causing it to somersault multiple times. He narrowly survived the crash and was rushed for emergency medical care after the officers—alleged to be DSS agents—left the scene.
Earlier in April 2023 the situation for Yoruba self-determination advocates worsened sharply following an incident when a group of demonstrators bearing Yoruba Nation flags, converged on the Oyo State Secretariat in Ibadan to declare self-determination. The demonstration prompted a swift response from security forces, resulting in numerous arrests and reported fatalities.
In the aftermath of the secretariat invasion, security agencies expanded their dragnet to target individuals linked to the movement. For Oyebamiji, the persecution took a tragic turn, after receiving a series of anonymous phone calls and death threats, armed assailants raided his residence. Failing to locate him, the assailants murdered his sister.
The family source stated that the relentless persecution, severe emotional trauma, and tragic loss of life have taken a devastating toll on him and the entire family, forcing all surviving members to abandon their residence and go into hiding. As the search for Damola Olawale Oyebamiji by DSS intensifies.
