Afenifere: Why Yoruba Groups Won’t Beg Buhari To Release Sunday Igboho

Afenifere, a Yoruba socio-political organization, has stated that there is no foundation to petition President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration to release Yoruba Nation agitator and activist Sunday Adeyemo, better known as Sunday Igboho.

Afenifere also urged the Federal Government to follow the ruling of the Oyo State High Court in Ibadan, which awarded N20 billion to the Department of State Services for causing damage to Igboho’s home during a midnight raid on July 1, 2021.

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Igboho Sunday
It said this in response to a recent visit by certain Igbo leaders to the White House to beg the release of Nnamdi Kanu, the incarcerated leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra.

Under the auspices of the Highly Respected Igbo Greats, Igbo leaders had pleaded with President Buhari to free Kanu.

Former governor of Anambra State, Chukwuemeka Ezeife; Bishop Sunday Onuoha of the Methodist Church, former president of the Igbo socio-cultural group, Aka Ikenga, Goddy Uwazurike, and Tagbo Amaechi were among the members of the delegation led by former Minister of Aviation, 93-year-old Mbazulike Amaechi.

In a statement issued by the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, Buhari responded to the Igbo leaders, saying that the unconditional release of the IPOB leader, who is currently on trial, violates the doctrine of separation of powers between the executive and judiciary.

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Igboho, who was detained by Republic of Benin police at the Cotonou Airport on July 19, 2021, has been held at the neighboring country’s detention facility.

Afenifere, on the other hand, said it had no reason to grovel to the president for Igboho’s release because the agitator ‘did not commit any offence whatsoever.’

“We don’t need to grovel to the President to let Sunday Igboho go. Our position is that Sunday Igboho did not conduct any wrongdoing. Those who came to his house were terrorists dressed in Nigerian security uniforms who had no authority to be there, as proven by a court of competent jurisdiction. “Igboho has been exonerated, and the government has been fined N20 billion,” the organization claimed.

“There is no reason for the Yoruba people to implore the Federal Government to free Sunday Igboho,” Afenifere’s General-Secretary, Sola Ebiseni, remarked.

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“Despite the Buhari government’s impunity, we insist that Nigeria be governed according to the rule of law.”

“A court of competent jurisdiction has already adjudged the deep night invasion of Sunday Igboho’s house with the aim of killing him, which resulted in the deaths of two of his companions and the wanton destruction of his property as a most barbaric act of state terrorism with the sum of N20 billion in damages.”

Afenifere further stated that no criminal charges had been filed against Igboho in any court.