Confusion Over Kidnapping Victims in Oyo After Igboho's Ultimatum

Confusion is growing about the kidnapped victims from Igbope in Oorelope Local Government Area of Oyo State. Both the local council chairman and the Oyo State Police Command have denied reports that the victims have been freed.

This confusion started after a video went viral on social media on Saturday. The video showed many residents singing and dancing with Sunday Adeyemo, known as Sunday Igboho, a Yoruba Nation activist.

People celebrated what they believed was the release of a woman, her children, and a sibling who had been kidnapped. According to reports, the victims were freed after Igboho gave suspected kidnappers and Fulani leaders a two-hour ultimatum to release them.

But local and state officials have rejected these claims. On Sunday, the Oorelope Local Government Chairman, Jacob Ogundiran, called the reports false and misleading.

"The attention of the Oorelope Local Government Area leadership has been drawn to circulating rumors and unverified reports claiming the release of the kidnapping victims.

"We state authoritatively that these reports are false and misleading. The victims are still in captivity, and we urge the public to discountenance any information to the contrary unless it comes from credible sources," the statement said.

Ogundiran assured the public that security agencies at both state and local levels are working hard to rescue the victims. He thanked community leaders, residents, and stakeholders for their support and intelligence. He emphasized that protecting lives and property is a top priority.

The spokesperson for the Oyo State Police Command, DSP Olayinka Ayanlade, also denied that the hostages had been released or that Igboho helped in their rescue.

"Whatever the activist is doing, if the said victims are still in captivity, I don’t know. Efforts are ongoing to rescue them.

"Meanwhile, the victims were not even kidnapped in Igboho. They were kidnapped at Igbope," he said during a phone call.

The kidnapping happened during a midnight attack when gunmen took members of a family. Initially, the kidnappers asked for N300 million in ransom but later reduced it to N150 million.

After the incident, Igboho warned suspected Fulani leaders in the area about the rising cases of kidnapping and insecurity. In the viral video, he addressed community representatives and traditional leaders, showing his anger over the killings and abductions happening there.

He accused some in the Fulani community of kidnapping people and mentioned cases involving a pregnant woman and ransom deals that led to deaths.

"The person who brought the ransom, you still killed him and spared only one person," he said. He insisted that such things must not happen again.

Igboho also gave a two-hour ultimatum for the release of other kidnapped victims. He said he had been calm at the request of traditional rulers.

"I am Sunday Igboho. I am calm because my fathers asked me to be calm with you. Let this be the last time such a thing will happen," he stated.

He warned that if the kidnappers did not comply, he would take serious action, including threats to enter suspected hideouts linked to the kidnappings.

Even after the ultimatum, videos from the community showed residents celebrating what they thought was the release of the family. But now, authorities have said these claims are not true.