Akintoye confirms arrest of Sunday Igboho in Benin Republic

A renowned historian and leader of the umbrella body of Yoruba Self-Determination Groups, Emeritus Professor Banji Akintoye, has confirmed the arrest of “Yoruba Nation” agitator, Sunday Adeyemo, popularly known as Sunday Igboho in Benin Republic.

Akintoye, however, said he, alongside others were currently working to provide legal assistance for Ighoho to prevent his extradition into Nigeria, saying “Benin Republic is a land that respects the rules of law.”

This was disclosed in a statement signed, on Tuesday, by Akintoye.

Read the statement: “I received last night the troubling information that Chief Sunday Adeyemo fondly called Igboho had been arrested at the Cotonou Airport.

“I and other Yoruba Patriots who are immediately available are now working to provide the assistance necessary to ensure that nobody will be able to do to him anything unlawful or primitive and to prevent him from being extradited into Nigeria which is strongly possible.

“Fortunately, Benin Republic is reliably a land of law where the authorities responsibly obey the law.”

According to him, a leading and highly respected lawyer has been hired in defence of Igboho.

He urged Yoruba citizens to stand strong and ensure that “neither Sunday Igboho nor any other Yoruba person will henceforth be subjected to inhuman or dehumanizing treatment of any kind.”

The statement continued: “We must all see to it now that Sunday Ighoho will get his freedom back so as to be able to move and operate as a free person. We all know he has committed no crime.

“We know that some people are trying to suppress or even eliminate him only because he stood up to defend his kinsmen, women and children who are being massively killed and raped in their ancestral home Land; who are having their assets and means of livelihood destroyed, and who are facing ethnic cleansing and even genocide without having the benefit of protection by the rulers of their country.”