"SUNDAY IGBOHO HAS NOT BEEN RELEASED" - Associate

Sunday Igboho

An associate of the popular Yoruba Nation activist, Mr Sunday Adeyemo (aka Sunday Igboho) has refuted claims about his release by the government of Benin Republic today.

The associate, Mr. Wale Adeniran is the pioneer Commissioner of Education in Osun state, a professor and former Director of Institute of African Studies at Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife.

It had been reported that Sunday Igboho, who has been on the run from the Nigerian government after his home was raised by the Department of State (DSS) recently, had been arrested at an airport in Benin Republic on Monday, while trying to jet off to Germany.

But today, multiple reports on social media said he had been released due to a coordinated intervention by a team of Yoruba lawyers, and was getting ready to leave for "an undisclosed destination". 

However, according to Adeniran, “I have just spoken with his lawyer. The lawyer has visited the location where he (Igboho) is being 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 8:00 a.m. 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. 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,” Mr Adeniran said.

He said four international lawyers from Benin Republic, Nigeria, France and Britain are on the case.

Credit: Premium Times