Popular Yoruba socio-cultural activist, Chief Sunday Adeyemo, otherwise called Sunday Igboho, has said that his arrest was not carried out as ordered by the Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, on the grounds that President Muhammadu Buhari had been cautioned by some leading Yoruba leaders.
The controversial Sunday Igboho has been in the news in recent time for giving a seven-day eviction notice to Fulani herdsmen in Igangan, a community in Ibarapa North Local Government Area of Oyo State. The activist had been accused of inciting some of his supporters to destroy houses and cars, including those of Saliu Abdulkadri, the Seriki Fulani of Igangan.
The IGP, had last week ordered the Commissioner of Police in Oyo State, Ngozi Onadeko, to arrest Sunday Igboho and transfer him to Abuja with immediate effect.
However, the police have yet to effect his arrest.
In a viral video posted by former Minister of Aviation, Femi Fani-Kayode, on his Facebook page, Sunday Igboho, while addressing a crowd of supporters, said Yoruba leaders are not pleased with the killing of their people by herdsmen.
He said the Yoruba leaders had voiced their concerns and also backed him, adding that it would be a call for war if he was arrested.
Sunday Igboho said, “We thank all our fathers, including the Aare Onakakanfo. They have all spoken up. Now that we are here, I beg you in the name of God, I don’t want us to disrespect any of our Yoruba leaders.
“You people are just unaware… I swear by God, they are also not happy with what is going on but now they are speaking up and won’t condone what is going on.
“Look at all the Yoruba leaders that have spoken up; the way Yorubas are warning him. Buhari can’t attempt it. That now, it is war, if they dare arrest Igboho, it will turn to war.
“See the way Fani-Kayode has spoken up and he is not joking with what he is saying. They are killing us, kidnapping us, treating us badly in our father land.”
Meanwhile, the President, Yoruba Ronu Leadership Forum, Mr. Akin Malaolu, has said the people had the right to secure themselves and their communities if under threat.
In a statement issued on Monday, Malaolu said, “Mr. Sunday Adeyemo aka Sunday Igboho was not well known to the generality of our people until his recent emergence as a nationalist to help bring the required peace for our helpless millions of people, who seldom sleep with their two eyes closed.
“Please recall that our leadership forum earlier in the new year warned Nigerians, particularly our people in the Southwest, to keep watchful eyes on criminal activities that had gained weight in all our forest areas including Kogi and Kwara states. We see the peaceful supervision of calling out people of shady activities being done by Igboho without bearing of unlawful weapons as a good intervention.
“The security challenges the nation faces today are general and since the All Progressives Congress government of Muhammadu Buhari has failed, other fair interventions become inevitable. The presidency and governors must partner the likes of Igboho to encourage community participation in security to improve security conditions in the Southwest and all over Nigeria. Vilifying him through unnecessary threats is unreasonable.
“So far, the people have felt reassured that criminal activities can be stemmed if required desire and energy are put to use and that is exactly what Igboho is offering.
“As one of the leaders of thought in the Southwest, our advice is that the innocent are not punished, homesteads are not burnt and peaceful Nigerians are assisted to remain in the Southwest to pursue their legitimate interests.”
