Some demonstrators in Ibadan, Oyo state capital, on Wednesday, in a peaceful protest stormed major streets and neighbourhoods demanding the immediate release of Sunday Adeyemo, popularly called Sunday Igboho, the Yoruba nation agitator, over his arrested in Cotonou, alongside with his wife, at the Cadjehoun Airport in Cotonou, Benin Republic.
The protesters, as narrated by Tribune, took off from Igboho’s Soka residence, in Ibadan, and marched through Soka, Sanyo, Felele, and converged at the Music House, housing the Fresh FM of the popular gospel music artiste, Yinka Ayefele on Lagos bypass of Challenge, Ibadan.
During the protests, various placards, bearing different inscriptions such as “Free Ighobo now. I stand with Chief Sunday Adeyemo Igboho Oosa’, ‘Chief Sunday is fighting for freedom. No going back. Chief Sunday is fighting for freedom,’ Alaanu Talika, kinni Sunday she? E beru Olorun. Idajo yin de tan. E fi Ighobo sile!!! ‘Igboho is not a criminal, I stand with Igboho” were said to have been displayed by supporters of the Yoruba nation agitator.
The demonstrators, as confirmed from Tribune Online, also pleaded with Yoruba traditional rulers to rise up in “Igboho’s defence and ensure his release from the detention of the Benin Republic security agency, bearing in mind that he (Igboho) was fighting for the cause and interest of the Yoruba race”, they said.
Some protesters, were quoted to have said, “Chief Igboho rose in defence of his people. It is now that the Federal Government has risen against him. This is not right. The Federal Government should make a correction.”
Another protester, David Ajulo said, “I am appealing to Yoruba monarchs. They should rise up in defence of Igboho…”
Azeez Sulaiman, a demonstrator, called for “the release of the Yoruba nation agitators that were arrested during a peaceful rally in Ojota, Lagos, on Saturday, July 3, this year. He added, “we are aware that the court has granted them bail, but the bail conditions were too stringent. They have not been able to meet the bail conditions.”
Atakoro Omo Yerepe, as also gathered said, in his own submission called on, the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Olayiwola Adeyemi, the Ooni of Ife, Oba Enitan Adeyeye Ogunwusi; and other prominent Yoruba monarchs, including Aare Ona Kakanfo of Yorubaland, Chief Gani Adams, to protect Igboho from being humiliated by the Federal Government.
In a similar development, it was gathered from sources that some Yoruba people in Cotonou, Republic of Benin, staged a peaceful protest in the nation’s court on Wednesday where it was believed that Igboho would be taken for the case hearing whether to extradite him back to Nigeria or be granted asylum.
It is on record that operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) in collaboration with other security agencies, on July 1, 2021, invaded Igboho’s Soka residence in Ibadan and arrested some people while Igboho was said to have escaped.