IPOB: Malami Lied; Documents Show 15 Suspects Accused of Burning The Oba of Lagos Palace Are Yoruba

The defendants charged with destroying the Oba of Lagos palace were identified as Yoruba living in the royal neighborhood, according to court documents and viral footage.

iexclusive News Nigeria reports that despite Attorney General Abubakar Malami’s assertions that the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) set fire to the Oba of Lagos’ palace, court documents obtained by Peoples Gazette show that the 15 suspects accused with the crime are of Yoruba descent.

iexclusive News Nigeria reports that Mr Malami blamed IPOB leader Nnamdi Kanu on Friday for inciting the proscribed organisation and its militant wing, the Eastern Security Network (ESN), to carry out assaults in Lagos and other parts of the country during the #EndSARS demonstration.

Mr Kanu, who is currently being tried by the Buhari regime, allegedly used an anti-police brutality protest in October 2020 as a cover to raid and pillage the Oba’s palace, according to the AGF.

This online news outlet also gathered that all of the defendants charged by the Nigerian Police are Yorubas, according to court documents with the case number CR/MISC/ES/L/002020 reviewed by The Gazette.

Following the attack on the Lagos monarchy’s palace, police arrested 15 individuals and took them before a Lagos State Magistrate Court in Ogba, in the Ikeja magisterial area, on accusations of theft and crime.

IPOB: Malami Lied; Documents Show 15 Suspects Accused of Burning The Oba of Lagos Palace Are Yoruba

The defendants are Messrs Eniafe Olawale, Gbenga Ajayi, Lamidi Rafiu, Oladunmoye Ayodeji, Soliu Tajudeen, Ahmed Olayinka, Samuel Damilola, Wasiu Grewa, Habib Salit, Nurudeen Yusuf, Safiu Quadri Lekan, Afolabi lukuman and Yusuf Babalola with charges bordering on theft and felony.

IPOB has been accused of wreaking havoc across the South-East before Mr Malami’s charges on Friday. As the group strives to implement a sit-at-home order in the region, groups commonly thought to represent IPOB have destroyed government institutions, particularly schools, police stations, prisons, and election office buildings.

During #EndSARS, there were also criminal arsons attributed on IPOB across the region, but the widespread destruction seen in Lagos, Abuja, and other places outside the South-East was caused by locals.

The suspects who set fire to the Oba of Lagos’ home were captured on camera and circulated on social media, with several narrators recognizing the suspects as Yoruba residing in Lagos Island neighborhoods.

IPOB is an Igbo organization that has limited its operations to the South-East. The secessionist organization seeking an independent Biafra nation is not known to include Yorubas in the South-West.