Illegal Scout Camp Turns Violent: TSAN Rebirth Team Calls Out Awunah, Oyetayo, and Allies

PRESS STATEMENT ON THE INCIDENT INVOLVING SCOUT LEADERS AND SHOOTING AT THE VENUE OF THE ILLEGAL SCOUT CAMP ORGANIZED BY MR DAVE AWUNAH

Illegal Scout Camp Turns Violent: TSAN Rebirth Team Calls Out Awunah, Oyetayo, and Allies

It has come to our attention that yesterday, the 18th of August 2025 while the Nigerian Police was enforcing a valid warrant of arrest issued on Mr Dave Awunah and Babatunde Oyetayo, both now “outlawed”members of the Scout Association of Nigeria who are currently under multi agency investigation into their alleged financial miss appropriation in the Scout Association of Nigeria.

Officers of the Nigerian Police Force, who were accompanied by Scouter Uwem Nathaniel, arrived at the venue of the Camp, and the police placed Mr Babatunde Oyetayo under arrest. This followed his refusal to show up at the office of the DIG, FCID, who had invited him to come following a petition written against him and Dave Awunah. Mr Oyetayo had, for the second time, promised the police to show up on Friday,15th August, at the Force Headquarters, Abuja, but refused to show up.

The police later traced both Oyetayo and Dave Awunah to an illegal camp organized in Abuja.

While the police were trying to effect both Awunah and

Oyetayo’s arrest, information has it that another miscreant, Zack Ekannola ordered some thugs wearing the scout uniforms to attack Uwem and riot at the police,scouter Uwem was attacked and was eventually taken to the hospital where he was treated for minor injuries. Shortly after, another concerned Scouter and a former Chairman of Nigeria Scout Youth Forum, Engr Abubakar Gana, who was fortunate to be around, visited the hospital to help Uwem with hospital bills and other support. Upon hearing what transpired, Engr Gana went to the Scout camp in a bid to find a solution to the situation. In another turn of event, the uniform wearing scout thugs attacked Scouter Gana while he was speaking with the camp leaders. Gana, who is a federal agent, fired shots into the air to escape from being mobbed by the scout thugs.

The TSAN Rebirth Team note that such barbarity and lawlessness which is the basis of the current crisis in the association totally negate the tenets of our scouting values and we condemn in possible strongest terms, the attacks on law abiding members of the association working to manage the disaster created by the former Chief Commissioner, Dave Awunah.

We hold Dave Awunah, Babatunde Oyetayo and Zack Ekannola directly responsible for orchestrating, endorsing and at the least, allowing scouts to descend into thuggery and violence under their watch instead of nurturing young people to become agents of peace in their communities.

We categorically oppose the continued impersonation of the association’s leadership by Dave and his associates as we call for complete accountability in the handling of the association by the embattled former leadership between 2018 and 2024.

We maintain that the cause of justice will never change and the duo of Dave, Oyetayo and other perpetrators of the alleged financial crimes in the association, regardless of their connections will not escape the law of the country and will be brought to book.

We are following the recent developments involving the trafficking of persons from Nigeria to Europe under the guise of the just concluded scout Moot in Portugal.

Failure of Awunah and Oyetayo to surrender themsleves to the Nigerian Police Force at the agreed time will compel the TSAN Rebirth Team to mobilize all legal,civic and political measures necessary to defend the integrity of the association beginning from Saturday, 30th August 2025.

SIGNED:

TSAN REBIRTH TEAM