Exile: Yoruba Council Seeks Igboho, Akintoye Return To Nigeria

• Kazeem Badmus

The Yoruba Council of Elders has called on President Bola Tinubu to create an enabling environment for the return of Professor Banji Akintoye, Chief Sunday Adeyemo popularly called Igboho and others who were exiled to the country.

According to the elders, the duo were “harassed for advocating proper and dignified treatment of their law-abiding kinsmen”.

Osun Defender reports that Igbo in March 2021, declared the Yoruba Nation’s sovereignty.

He started a campaign to chase killer herdsmen and kidnappers out of the South-West states and went on to call on Yoruba in Hausa/Fulani or Igbo territories to return home.

He, however, fled Nigeria to Benin Republic in July 2021 following the invasion of his Ibadan residence by the operatives of the Department of State Services.

The elders in a communique issued at the end of the council’s meeting of the Secretary-General and state secretaries, held in Ado Ekiti.

The communique made available to journalists on Saturday was signed by YCE scribe, Elder Oladipo Oyewole and Publicity Secretary, Elder Niyi Ajibulu .

Oyewole and Ajibulu, who said YCE had been miffed about the degenerating level of acceptance of Yoruba language, culture and civilisation, said that the meeting also deliberated on the presentation of a book, ‘Yoruba Renaissance, Challenges and Prospects’.

They described the book, written by Sir Egunjobi, a renowned educationist, as “a timely enunciation of Yoruba history and contemporary affairs which succinctly illuminates both recurring and emerging challenges and prospects to the Yoruba experience”.

The Yoruba elders, also held that former president of Nigeria, Olusegun Obasanjo “should certainly apologise and make restitution” for his attitude against some traditional rulers in Oyo State last week.

The elders stated, “The YCE takes exception to the humiliation recently meted out to various traditional rulers of Oyo State by Chief Obasanjo upon the claim of status as a former Head of State. This malfeasance constitutes a shameful affront to the dignity of Yoruba tradition and culture and thus stand condemned”.