Police dismiss reports of hostage release by bandits after Sunday Igboho’s two-hour ultimatum
Authorities in Oyo State have denied viral reports that a mother, her children, and her sibling, abducted by bandits in the Igbope community in the Oorelope Local Government Area of Oyo State, have been released following an ultimatum issued by Sunday Adeyemo, known as Sunday Igboho.
While viral social media videos over the weekend showed large crowds celebrating alongside popular Yoruba Nation activist, Sunday Adeyemo (better known as Sunday Igboho), over the alleged release of the hostages, both the local government leadership and the Oyo State Police Command have swiftly debunked the claims, stating authoritatively that the victims are still trapped in captivity.
The viral video and ultimatum by Sunday Igboho
The controversy ignited on Saturday after a video surfaced online showing an angry Sunday Igboho storming the area to confront traditional and local community representatives over the relentless wave of insecurity plaguing the region.
During the heated town hall gathering, Igboho openly accused rogue herdsmen within the local Fulani community of anchoring the sophisticated kidnapping syndicates operating along the Oyo North axis.
The activist referenced a previous heartbreaking incident where an emissary sent to deliver a ransom was brutally murdered alongside a pregnant victim.
Issuing a stern, non-negotiable two-hour ultimatum to suspected criminal networks and local Fulani leaders, Igboho warned of decisive, direct kinetic action if the family was not returned unharmed.
“I am Sunday Igboho. I am calm only because my fathers (traditional rulers) asked me to exercise restraint with you. Let this be the last time such a thing will happen,” Igboho warned in the viral footage.
“The person who brought the ransom, you still killed him. Failure to comply will trigger decisive action, and we will enter the hideouts.”
Shortly after the ultimatum elapsed, a second wave of videos emerged showing ecstatic Igbope residents singing and dancing around the activist, a development that commentators quickly interpreted as a successful rescue mission.
“They are still in captivity” — Authorities react
Reacting to the widespread jubilation on Sunday, the Executive Chairman of Oorelope Local Government, Hon. Jacob Ogundiran, issued a press statement labelling the trending viral reports as completely fabricated, false, and dangerously misleading to the public.
“The attention of the Oorelope Local Government Area leadership has been drawn to circulating rumours claiming the release of the kidnapping victims,” the statement read.
“We state authoritatively that these reports are false. The victims are still in captivity, and we urge the general public to discountenance any information to the contrary unless it comes directly from verified security channels.”
Corroborating the council chairman’s stance, the Police Public Relations Officer for the Oyo State Command, DSP Olayinka Ayanlade, strongly dismissed the narrative that the activist had successfully secured the freedom of the hostages.
“Whatever the activist is doing, if the said victims are still in captivity, I don’t know. Radical efforts are actively ongoing by our tactical teams to rescue them,” the PPRO stated during a telephone interview. “Meanwhile, it is important to correct the location—the victims were not even kidnapped in Igboho’s town. They were ambushed and abducted during a midnight raid at Igbope.”
The armed headers initially demanded an astronomical ransom from the traumatised family, which was later slashed following intense backend negotiations.
While state security forces and local hunters intensify their joint intelligence-led sweep across the Oyo forests, both the police and local government authorities have urged community members to remain calm, avoid spreading unverified social media updates, and focus on providing actionable intelligence to help bring the mother and her children back home safely.
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