Ojo Peter, Ibadan
A diaspora pro-Yoruba socio-cultural group, Oodua Worldwide, has warned the Federal Government to avert a looming danger by ensuring the freedom of Sunday Adeyemo, popularly known as Sunday Igboho and his aides.
They gave the warning in a statement titled, ‘Oodua Worldwide Calls For Igboho, Others Immediate Release’, on Thursday.
Igboho is currently in a detention facility in Benin Republic while four of his aides are in the detention of the Department of State Services.
The Soka, Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria, home of the pro-Yoruba self-determination activist was invaded by men from DSS about 1:30am on July 1, 2021, leading to the arrest of 12 of his aides, while Igboho managed to escape arrest.
Igboho was later arrested in Cotonou, Benin Republic, on July 16, 2021 with his wife, while travelling to Germany and has since then been in detention.
While reacting, President of the Oodua Worldwide, a Canadian based organisation, Prince Adewale Julius Ojo, urged Yoruba traditional rulers and leaders, not to relent on efforts to get Igboho freed.
He said the government of Nigeria blundered by the “crude invasion and should fast track the release of Igboho and his four aides, still in detention”.
The president explained that “prompt and unconditional release of Igboho is what can give a credible and unbiased face to a government that is now being seen by many as one with a mission to subdue other nations in Nigeria to favour one.”
Ojo condemned the approach of releasing some aides while their leader is still in a Beninoise detention.
He said that “self-determination agitation is a fundamental human right that should not be met with stiff resistance as being demonstrated by the Nigerian government”.
“We are making this urgent demand that Igboho and his remaining aides in detention should be released immediately to avert a looming danger hovering around Nigeria, if swift, urgent steps are not taken on the right track. We still can’t reconcile why known national tormentors, walk the streets of Nigeria unmolested while those on a popular struggle suddenly became objects of intimidation by our government
“We are appalled that the nation is fast degenerating and no one seems to care about what would become of a once fledgling country which seems to have lost its soul to petty politicking by those ordained to guide it to fruition.
“We maintain that the only way peace and tranquility can reign in Nigeria is for government to restore hope that a new Nigeria is still a possibility. Anything to the contrary will pose a serious danger to the unity of our country, Nigeria,” Ojo pointed out.