Cotonou, Benin Republic — In a significant development, Sunday Adeyemo, popularly known as Sunday Igboho, the Yoruba nation agitator, has finally regained his freedom from the authorities in Benin Republic.
After a two-year-long legal battle, Igboho announced his newfound liberty and expressed his intention to return to Nigeria and travel worldwide.
The embattled activist made this announcement on Sunday, asserting, “I am now free to return to Nigeria and visit any country in the world. I have fulfilled all the legal conditions attached to my bail a few years back, and I am coming home to Nigeria, my country of origin, any moment from now.”
Igboho’s declaration came after enduring a prolonged legal ordeal in the Benin Republic.
The Yoruba leader had been living in Cotonou, the capital of Benin, since fleeing Nigeria in July 2021. His departure followed a nighttime raid on his Ibadan residence by the Department of State Services (DSS), which resulted in at least one casualty and extensive property damage.
The DSS had claimed to have recovered a cache of weapons, including seven AK-47 rifles, pump-action guns, 5,000 rounds of ammunition, charms, and other items from Igboho’s residence during the operation. However, in a significant turn of events, the Court of Appeal set aside this judgment in August 2022.
Subsequently, Igboho was detained at the Cardinal Bernardin International Airport in Cotonou while attempting to flee to Germany.
Despite repeated efforts by the former Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari-led government to repatriate him to Nigeria, these attempts were unsuccessful.
Sunday Igboho initially gained widespread attention when he declared the sovereignty of the Yoruba Nation in March 2021.
He embarked on a campaign to rid the South-Western states of killer herdsmen and kidnappers, and he urged Yoruba people living in other territories, including Hausa/Fulani and Igbo regions, to return to their homeland.
With his newfound freedom, Sunday Igboho’s return to Nigeria is highly anticipated, as his supporters eagerly await his arrival.
This development is expected to reignite discussions and debates surrounding his activism and the broader issue of self-determination among ethnic groups in Nigeria.
