By Tosin Olatokunbo
A former governor of Oyo state Senator Rashid Ladoja has joined other Yoruba leaders fighting for Sunday Igboho following his arrest in Benin Republic on Monday.
The Yoruba Nation activist had been on the run for almost a months after the DSS raided his Ibadan, Oyo state home and declared him a fugitive.
Since his arrest by the Beninos authority some prominent south west leaders have moved against his possible extradition by the President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration, who said he has questions to answer.
Prominent traditional rulers from the region, politicians and academic, including Professor Banji Akintoye, a renowned Historian and Second Republic politicians have all risen up for the defence of the activist now being held by the Benin republic government.
Professor Akintoye said efforts are on to frustrate any plan by the federal government to repatriate the activist back to the country to face trial.
Speaking to newsmen in his Ibadan residence on Tuesday the former governor said the federal government should grant amnesty to the activist, noting that Igboho and Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB have not committed more crimes that Boko Haram, many of who have now been granted amnesty.
The federal government had last week released scores of the Islamists fighters to the Borno state government for rehabilitation.
Ladoja said it would be wrong to prosecute Igboho and Kanu because they are the creation of the Buhari’s government. He said both activists were forced to defend their people after the federal government failed to act against killer herdsmen killing people, raping women and destroying farmlands in the southern part of the country.
He urged the government to thread with serious caution, noting that arresting Kanu and Igboho would not put an end to the agitations across the country.
Ladoja said, “I want to appeal to the federal government to grant Igboho and Kanu amnesty just as some members of the dreaded Boko Haram sect were given amnesty. Igboho and Kanu are creations of the federal government. Why? Because whenever they arrested herdsmen who were killing their people, the federal government never acted. That was why those two people came up to defend their people.
“Boko Haram members that were arrested a year ago by the government have been released to the Borno State Government. The Federal Government created Sunday Igboho in the context of Igangan massacre.
“People are agitating for what they believe in; they should be treated with care, and not as criminals. Yoruba leaders including the Alaafin of Oyo have been complaining about atrocities committed by Fulani herdsmen without response from the federal government.
“An order came from above to release them and that is why the people resorted to self-help. It was in the process that Igboho’s agitation was created due to the killings that had been happening in the Ibarapa area and nobody was arrested. Even if they were arrested, they will be released.
“Arrest of Igboho will not change anything if government failed to do the needful, many Igboho will be created. Just like Kanu has become an acclaimed leader, and to some people, Igboho has also become a leader.
“If caution is not taken by the federal government, the issue might boomerang leading to many Igbohos and Kanus.”
Meanwhile, some south west leaders, the magazine learnt has reached out to the Beninos authority not to extradite Igboho. As part of the plan efforts are in top gear to use every legal means to stop the federal government from bringing him back to the country for trial.
