Igboho’s lawyer claims that he is chained like an animal in Cotonou and refutes rumours of his release

Mr. Yomi Alliyu, the lawyer for Yoruba nation agitator Chief Sunday Adeyemo, alias Sunday Igboho, has stated that his client is being treated inhumanely while being held in police custody in Cotonou, Benin.

The lawyer claimed in a statement released on Tuesday that Igboho is being treated like an animal in police custody and may appear before a court today for an extradition order.

“I received a call from a reliable source in the Republic of Benin just about three minutes ago informing me that Sunday Igboho has been placed in a very dehumanizing condition in a police cell in Cotonou,” he said.

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“The source informed me that they are under instruction from above to chain Igboho like an animal awaiting slaughter. He informed me that Igboho was shackled to the floor and was in excruciating pain.

“While I was on the phone with the source, I could hear our client sobbing and pleading for the chains to be removed, stating that he was in pain. However, I can hear one officer telling him that they are unable to remove the chains because they are following orders.

Alliyu, however, stated that the Nigerian authorities’ request for extradition is unlikely to be granted, given Igboho’s status as a political offender.

According to him, “I am aware that our client, Chief Sunday Adeyemo (a.k.a. Sunday Igboho Oosa), will appear in court tomorrow [today] in Cotonou, the capital of the Republic of Benin.”

“The Nigerian authorities and security operatives who arrested him will seek an extradition order to return Sunday Igboho to Nigeria.

“However, it is improbable that the extradition order sought would be granted. This is due to our client’s status as a political prisoner who is immune from extradition. As I stated earlier today in a press release, even his arrest by security operatives was contrary to the political nature of his offense.

“An ex-tradition treaty exists between four West African countries – Nigeria, Togo, Ghana, and Benin Republic – that protects Igbo people from extradition to the Republic of Benin.

“The 1984 Extradition Treaty between Togo, Nigeria, Ghana, and the Republic of Benin prohibited the extradition of political fugitives. Additionally, it states that if the fugitive will not receive justice as a result of discrimination and/or undue delay in prosecution, the host country should refrain from releasing him.

“Article 20 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights, to which the four countries are signatories, made agitation for self-determination a fundamental right that all countries must protect,” he explained.