Three days after the arrest of the Yoruba freedom fighter, Sunday Adeyemo, aka Sunday Igboho, the Federal Government is yet to comment on the incident.
Despite this, Nigeria’s former Chief of Army Staff and current Ambassador to the Benin Republic, Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai (retd.), has been on the frontline to ensure that Igboho is extradited to Nigeria.
But Igboho’s lead counsel, Yomi Aliyyu (SAN), has maintained that the activist cannot be extradited citing that the 1984 Extradition Treaty between Nigeria, Benin and two others excluded political refugees like Igboho.
Igboho and his wife, Ropo, have been in the detention of the Beninise police while his lawyers are pushing for his release.
Meanwhile, the dreaded Agbekoya Farmers’ Society, has warned the Federal Government to release the detained Yoruba Nation activist or risk incurring its wrath if he is hurt.
The group warned that its members would fight against “government’s ill-treatment” of Igboho.
The Yoruba Nation activist and his wife were arrested in Benin Republic on Monday night while trying to board a flight to Germany.
The Department of State Services had declared Igboho wanted after carrying out a raid on his Ibadan, Oyo State residence on July 1.
The DSS said it killed two people in a gun duel and arrested 12 others during the late-night raid on Igboho’s house.
It later paraded those arrested in Abuja and has since charged them to court.
Agbekoya Farmers Society National Publicity Secretary, Olatunji Bandele said that President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration was suppressing the South due to the treatment being meted to Igboho and the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu.
Agbekoya wondered why criminal herders are left to roam freely in the forests with sophisticated weapons while those challenging government perceived failures are being hunted by security agencies.
According to Bandele, “The position of Agbekoya is that Federal Government should have a rethink Nnamdi Kanu and Igboho. The agitations are at the instance of the injustices, killings, banditry and kidnappings in the country. Agbekoya is ready to fight for Igboho’s freedom. Nothing must happen to him.
“We have never had it as worse under any democratic government as we have it under Buhari and it is a pity.”
The Agbekoya spokesman noted that the group had reviewed the DSS’ raid on Igboho’s house and came to the conclusion that FG acted in a “barbaric” manner.
He added, “Our position is that Igboho and Kanu should be released. Igboho is not a criminal. What is wrong in speaking against the killing of one’s people?
“Is there any law that supports carrying out an arrest in the middle of the night, shooting for up to four hours and killing people in the house? They even took away the corpses; that is barbaric. Agitation is a product of insecurity.”