By Ebenezer Mabinuola
Yoruba nation advocate, Chief Sunday Adeyemo, better known as Sunday Igboho, has reaffirmed that he remains on the Federal Government’s wanted list, despite changes in administration and rising speculation regarding his current status.
In a statement released on Wednesday, Igboho directly countered recent remarks by Hajia Naja’atu Mohammed, a former official of President Bola Tinubu’s presidential campaign, who suggested the activist was enjoying unchecked freedom while other separatist leaders, including Nnamdi Kanu of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), remain incarcerated.
According to Igboho, the arrest order issued against him during the administration of ex-President Muhammadu Buhari has not been rescinded by the current government. “The directive declaring me wanted is still in effect. I have not been cleared, and I cannot return to Nigeria,” he said.
Igboho accused Mohammed of attempting to drag him into a political feud and criticized her for what he described as an attempt to undermine President Tinubu’s administration. He stressed that his persecution began after he publicly opposed the killings, assaults, and destruction allegedly carried out by Fulani herders in South West Nigeria.
“On July 1, 2021, heavily armed personnel from the DSS and Nigerian Army stormed my home in Ibadan in a coordinated attempt to capture or assassinate me. Two of my associates were killed, and 13 others were detained,” he recalled.
The activist also highlighted Nigeria’s historical political imbalance, pointing out that only two out of 16 national leaders since independence have hailed from the Yoruba ethnic group — former President Olusegun Obasanjo and incumbent President Bola Tinubu.
Taking a swipe at Mohammed’s commentary, Igboho questioned her silence during Buhari’s tenure when insecurity, insurgency, and violence ravaged communities across both the North and South. He further alleged that controversial cleric Sheikh Abubakar Gumi financially benefited from negotiating with terrorist elements during that period.
“Unlike the past administration, Tinubu’s government appears committed to tackling insurgency head-on rather than enriching middlemen who exploited national crises,” Igboho asserted.
He concluded by urging Mohammed to steer clear of dragging his name into political discourse, calling her claims “baseless and malicious.”
“I am not part of your propaganda. My struggle is for justice and peace in Yoruba land — not politics,” he stated firmly.
