Arrested Ogboni Leader Denies Being Part Of Yoruba Nation Rally
Tajudeen Bakare, an Ogboni leader who was arrested by police during the Yoruba Nation event on Saturday, claims he was not a participant in the protest.
On Sunday, Hakeem Odumosu, the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, displayed 49 suspects, including Bakare and his Ogboni associates, who reportedly participated in the protest.
The police chief told reporters at the command headquarters in Ikeja on Sunday that “unfavorable intelligence” prompted the state government and police to intervene in the demonstration.
Bakare, however, told PUNCH Metro that he was coming from church when the police approached him and his companions, arresting them as Yoruba Nation agitators.
He said, “I am Tajudeen Bakare, the king of the Ogboni in Lagos and I have my members. Every first Friday is worship day for us. It starts at 11 pm and finishes around 5 am. I am the owner of the Jeep and my members were also in the car.
“But because we did overnight work, we couldn’t go home. So, we had to sleep until 10.30 am when we left for Ikorodu. We were on our way when somebody called to say that my money was available and told me to come to 7up to collect it. But as we were returning, and were descending from the bridge to link the Ikorodu Road, the police stopped us.
“The first set of police that stopped us checked my vehicle and told us to go, but it was unfortunate when the second set of police stopped us and after checking my vehicle said we could not go.
“As a king, I have my crown in the car; my Yeyelufe, Abiodun Taiwo, and Taiyese were also with me. We were not going for the rally; we were coming from where we went to worship.”
