Sunday Igboho Regains Freedom After Years as Fugitive

Self-acclaimed Yoruba nation activist, Chief Sunday Adeyemo, popularly known as Sunday Igboho, is now a free man, having spent years abroad as a fugitive.

This development comes five years after Igboho's controversial eviction of Fulani residents from Igangan, Ibarapa North in Oyo State. Weekend Trust has learned that Igboho is now pardoned and living freely.

Igboho rose to prominence through his advocacy for an independent Yoruba Nation. He gained significant attention when he issued a quit notice to Fulani communities in the Ibarapa Zone of Oyo State, citing allegations of killings, abductions, and general insecurity in the region.

The activist, whose name was on the federal government's wanted list, has reportedly been cleared by the government. This clearance is attributed to advocacy efforts by prominent South-West figures, including governors and traditional rulers, with the Olubadan of Ibadanland, Chief Rashidi Ladoja, reportedly leading the push.

Born Sunday Adeniyi Adeyemo, he adopted the name Igboho, referencing his hometown. He was born on October 10, 1972, and initially gained recognition for his involvement in the Modakeke-Ife communal crisis in 1997. However, his social media prominence surged in January 2021 after issuing the ultimatum to Fulani herdsmen.

Igboho's early life was spent in Modakeke, Osun State, after his father relocated the family. He began as a motorcycle repairer before venturing into the automobile business. He also had associations with past Oyo State governors, including Lam Adesina and the current Olubadan, Rashidi Ladoja, for whom he served as a trusted aide.

In January 2021, Igboho led a group to the Fulani settlement in Ibadan following a week-long ultimatum for them to vacate Igangan, accusing them of being responsible for the area's insecurity, kidnappings, and killings.

Following this confrontation, Igboho was hailed by many in Yorubaland as a hero for his perceived role in protecting the people. He subsequently evicted the Sarkin Fulani and his family from their palace in Igangan, with the Fulani leader's vehicles and property reportedly set ablaze.

This event escalated tensions, disrupting the long-standing harmony between the Fulani community and their host communities in Oyo and other South-West states. While Igboho blamed Fulani residents for criminal activities, the Sarkin Fulani of Oyo State, Alhaji Saliu Abdulkadir, denied these allegations, stating that many herders had also been victims and that he had no involvement with any criminal elements.

The Nigerian Department of State Services (DSS) raided Igboho's Ibadan residence in July 2021, reportedly recovering arms and ammunition, arresting aides, and leading to the deaths of two individuals. The DSS claimed to have found weapons such as AK-47 rifles and ammunition, while Igboho's supporters alleged that the arms were planted.

During the raid, Igboho reportedly escaped, and he was later declared wanted by the DSS. He was subsequently apprehended in Cotonou, Benin Republic, while attempting to travel to Germany. Prominent Yoruba leaders, including the Ilana Oodua group, advocated for his legal representation, leading to his eventual release in Benin Republic in 2023.

Weekend Trust recalls that Igboho had filed a lawsuit against the DSS for the raid, and in September 2021, an Oyo State High Court awarded him N20 billion in damages. However, this judgment was later overturned by the Court of Appeal in Ibadan in August 2022.

Igboho made a brief return to Nigeria in February 2024 for his mother's burial before returning to Germany, as he was still technically on the wanted list. His most recent return to Nigeria occurred approximately two weeks ago, where he was reportedly welcomed as a free individual.

His return on January 26 is said to have been facilitated by the Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Rashidi Ladoja, alongside other traditional rulers and South- West governors. Reports suggest that discussions regarding Igboho's pardon began shortly after President Bola Ahmed Tinubu assumed office in 2023, with Yoruba leaders urging the president to grant him clemency.

While the Presidency has not issued an official statement on the pardon, Igboho himself confirmed it, stating that his name had been removed from the wanted list. He arrived from Cotonou to a celebratory reception in Ibadan, where special prayers were offered for his safe return and for those credited with intervening in his case.

Igboho expressed gratitude for his freedom, acknowledging the hardships faced under the previous administration, including being declared wanted and having his accounts frozen despite court rulings in his favor. He later visited the Olubadan's palace, where he thanked President Tinubu, Oba Ladoja, and Chief Adebanjo for their roles in his release.

However, the pardon has been met with strong opposition from the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN). The association condemned the pardon as an act of 'tribal justice' and a 'miscarriage of justice,' reopening painful memories for Fulani communities in Oyo State. MACBAN holds Igboho responsible for attacks on Fulani settlements, leading to killings, arson, and displacement.

MACBAN's South-West Coordinator, Alhaji Mumini Muhammad, stated that the pardon was a 'slap in the face' to Fulani victims and warned that it undermines national unity and fuels ethnic resentment. The association is demanding justice, compensation for affected families, and a public explanation of the pardon's basis.

Alhaji Saliu Abdulkadir, the Sarkin Fulani who relocated to Ilorin, expressed his unhappiness with the pardon, lamenting the loss of his property and decades of labor without compensation. He criticized the situation as 'selective justice' against the Fulani.

Conversely, some Yoruba activists and leaders, like Alhaji Gbemisola Obadeyi of the Yoruba Welfare Group (YWG), have welcomed the pardon. Obadeyi described it as a courageous decision reflecting leadership and a commitment to justice. He characterized Igboho as a cultural activist who emerged during a period of insecurity and emphasized that his actions were aimed at protecting his people, differentiating him from individuals engaged in terrorism or violence against the state.

Another activist, Comrade Toyin Raheem, while acknowledging the pardon as positive for reconciliation, stressed that displaced Fulani communities deserve compensation. He also called for transparency regarding the pardon's details and suggested that Igboho himself should be compensated for the raid on his house, advocating for justice that is fair to all parties involved.