News reaching ogbomosoinsightonline.com this morning indicates that the Nigerian government might have met brickwall on the extradition of Yoruba nation agitator, Sunday Adeyemo, popularly known as Igboho, to Nigeria as the Benineose authorities have stated unequivocally that he would not be released without trial.
The Nigerian government had demanded immediate extradition of Igboho to Nigeria with its ambassador in the country, Tukur Burutai, a former Chief of Army Staff, under President Mohammadu Buhari, playing crucial role in this direction.
But according to SaharaReporters in a report monitored by ogbomosoinsightonline.com, the authorities in the neighbouring West African nation have insisted on a fair trial for Igboho before yielding to the demand.
The Benineose government is said to have insisted on trying the freedom fighter first in respect of its local law it said Igboho contravened before at all considering Nigeria’s demand for extradition.
Igboho faces the charge of entering Benin Republic with fake passport, with which he also attemped to leave.
It is on this ground he will be arraigned to face immigration related offences later today.
It is learnt the Yoruba nation activist had hired a Benineose defense attorney, Rafael Huvehnou, who is currently an attorney to the President of the Benin Republic, to defend him.
“We went to court at Cotonou today (yesterday) but they didn’t bring Igboho to court, so we called his lawyer. He was in safe hands at Cotonou Criminal Brigade where he was detained. They will take him to court today.
“Igboho has given a statement to the police. He was traveling with a Beninoese passport adjudged to be fake,” the source told SaharaReporters.
Meanwhile, he may be granted bail.
The Nigerian government, through its Ambassador to Benin Republic, Tukur Buratai, is bent on extraditing Igboho to Nigeria.
It was gathered that the former Chief of Army Staff wrote two letters to the government of the West African country and insisted on the arrest and extradition of Igboho.
Buratai had in the letters described the activist as a terrorist and murderer.
“Nigeria had written two letters to the West African state, describing Igboho as a terrorist and murderer. The first letter was written on July 7th. A second letter describing his bodily features was passed on to the Benin Republic yesterday,” a security source disclosed.
To shore up support for Igboho, series of demonstrations have broken in different cities across the world; in Ibadan, Oyo state capital where he resides, in Cotonou, Benin Republic and in several European countries.
The protesters have widely denounced his arrest describing the action as unwarranted persecution of someone speaking out against injustice being meter out on his Yoruba people of Western Nigeria.
Several lawyers have been assembled to defend him to prevent his extradition to Nigeria, where it is believed he will be denied justice.
Recall that Chief Sunday Adeyemo was picked up at the airport in Cotonou on Monday while attempting to fly to Germany.
This was after his Soka, Ibadan residence was raided by operatives of DSS in the wee hours of July 1, during which some of his associates were killed and about 13 others arrested and taken to Abuja.
His international passport was also seized during the raid.
Igboho, alleged of stockpiling weapons, was subsequently declared wanted by the Nigerian government.
