Yoruba Nation agitators clashed with men of the Ogun state police command on Saturday after 11 of the agitators were arrested for defying the police ban on the mass rally in Abeokuta.
The group had organised the rally to push for a separate nation called Oduduwa Republic, mainly by people of the Southwest geo-political zone which is predominantly Yorubas.
The rally held jointly by two groups – Ilana Omo Oduduwa and Omo Kootu Ojire Omo Oduduwa Atata – took their procession around Abeokuta in defiance to the police order, barring the demonstration.
THE WHISPERER gathered that the rally which started around 9am was disrupted by security operatives who took over the streets of Abeokuta in order to stop the rally.
Police helicopter was also sighted hovering over some areas in the state capital.
The police operatives stormed the Alake Palace where the agitators converged for the rally and arrested eleven agitators.
This reportedly led to a clash between the agitators and the police officers around the Eleweran area when the proponents of secession demanded release of their members.
It was gathered that the police later released those arrested on the order of the Commissioner of Police, Edward Ajogun.
Our correspondent also learnt that the agitators on their way back from Eleweran, allegedly attacked some policemen on the road, injuring a number of them.
Speaking with newsmen, the Publicity Secretary of Omo Kootu Ojire Omo Oduduwa Atata, Ibukunoluwa John, described the rally as peaceful and violent-free.
John said, “The rally started exactly 9am and ended 4:30 pm and ended without violence. We were not part of any violence or hijacking of police rifle.
“We want to tell the public that we are not part of anything that is violent today. We had our rally. It was peaceful and nothing like violence.”
Also corroborating the spokesperson for Omo Kootu Ojire Omo Oduduwa Atata, the Media and Communications Secretary, Ilana Omo Oodua, Maxwell Adeleye said the release of the arrested agitators was as a result of the surging crowd of Yoruba men and women moving towards Eleweran Police Headquarters.
Reacting, the Police Public Relations Officer in the state, DSP Abimbola Oyeyemi, accused the agitators of launching unprovoked attacks on the security operatives.
Oyeyemi said the agitators attacked the police headquarters in the state and some policemen on duty.
He confirmed that eleven of them were earlier arrested for unruly behaviour at Alake Palace and were later released on the order of the Commissioner of Police in the state.
The PPRO however lamented that despite the release of their members, they still went ahead to attack their men at More junction not far from the police headquarters.
