Wale Adeniran, one of the conveners of Ilana Omo Oodua International, a Yoruba socio-cultural organisation, has on Tuesday, July 20 debunked reports that Yoruba nation agitator, Sunday Igboho, has been released from custody in Benin Republic.
According to TheCable, Adeniran made this known in a statement on Tuesday evening few hours after there were reports of his release.
The unconfirmed reports indicated that the Benin Republic government was not cooperating with Nigeria on repatriation proceedings, and had released Igboho.
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Igboho was said to have been arrested by security operatives in Benin Republic on Monday, while on his way to Germany, and that there were plans to repatriate him to Nigeria.
Adeniran, who spoke during a Zoom meeting with some other members of the Ilana Omo Oodua group on Tuesday, said efforts were ongoing to ensure the youth leader’s release.
Adeniran, a pioneer Commissioner of Education in Osun State and former Director of Institute of African Studies at Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, said;
I have just spoken with his lawyer. The lawyer has visited the location where he (Igboho) is been held. He was not allowed to see him (Igboho) but they confirmed to him that they are holding him in that location.
He was asked to come back tomorrow (Wednesday) by 8:00am to see him. I asked him hope they are not going to play a funny game of secretly extraditing him, the lawyer told me it is not possible.
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He stressed;
We filed an application for political asylum for him over a week ago. With that in process, he cannot be legally extradited from Benin republic. I am very confident about that. I handle the application myself with the immigration lawyer and he assured me that since that application has been filed, he cannot be extradited. I think we should be rest assured that he will have the opportunity to see him tomorrow.
Adeniran carpeted those falsely reporting he has been released, adding;
Why should people be putting out false information that he has been released which is injurious to this struggle and to the welfare and wellbeing of igboho?
Adeniran disclosed four international lawyers from Benin Republic, Nigeria, France, Britain are on the case but when they saw the trending news, they had to call him to confirm.
He added;
When the lawyers saw the false information, they relaxed, I had to tell them it is false. So can you see the damage.
Also speaking on Tuesday evening, Jare Ajayi, national publicity secretary of Afenifere, a Yoruba socio-cultural group, said there is no confirmation that Igboho has been released from police custody in Benin Republic.
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Ajayi said Igboho is still in custody, stressing;
There is no confirmation that Igboho has been released from custody.
Ajayi also said Afenifere is still studying the situation before it will make a statement on details of Igboho’s arrest.
He added;
Security agencies appear to be more active in hunting those who are peacefully agitating for the rights and better deals for their people than they appear to be in dealing with bandits and terrorists who have deprived thousands of innocent Nigerians of their lives and properties.
If half of the energy deployed to apprehend Nnamdi Kanu and Sunday Igboho had been deployed to the menace of terrorists and bandits who kill, rape, rob and kidnap people, we would not have been in the unfortunate security mess that we are presently.
It is hoped that government will direct more attention to addressing issues that gave birth to ethnic agitations. The earlier this is done, the better.
