Igboho Did Not Commit Any Crime, Yoruba Group Cries Out

By James Orji

Sunday Igboho will not be abandoned to his fate in this trying moment, the Ilana Omo Oodua has said, adding that top lawyers have been assigned to defend him in the court.

The Yoruba rights activist has gone into hiding after the Department of State Services, DSS invaded his home on July 1, killing some of his aides and arresting others, who have now been taken to Abuja for prosecution. The DSS has since declared the popular activist wanted.

But speaking on the issue, the group led by a renowned Professor of History Banji Akintoye said Igboho and other activists, including those arrested by the police on Saturday July 3, during Yoruba Nation protest in Lagos, would not be abandon to their fate.

A statement released by the group’s spokesman, Maxwell Adeleye said Igboho and his aides, just like the protesters did not violate any law by their actions.

According to him, “The counsel for Igboho,  Chief Yomi Aliu (SAN), has written the DSS, Inspector General of Police.

“Igboho is a law abiding person and he has not violated any law. None of his family member was attacked by herdsmen but his love for his people made him to rise up to speak for Yoruba people who are being oppressed in their land. He never killed anyone, but he is being hunted while tknown criminals are being pampered.

“Igboho has debunked the claims of the DSS. He said the weapons displayed by the DSS did not belong to him. He said two guns were taken away from his house and the two guns belong to the police orderlies of his guests.  He said other things were not from his house.

“Ilana Omo Oodua is with Igboho and we are going to stand by him. Those arrested at his house will be released very soon. We are working on that. After all, they did not find them with guns or anything incriminating.

Their only offence is that they were at Igboho’s house and I don’t know when that became an offence.

“What is the off made of Lady K, she is a blogger who was reporting the action live. She lives in Igboho house and I don’t know if that is a crime.”

“Nigerian government will be surprised by the number of senior Yoruba lawyers that will represent them. We won’t tell you their names and their number now because we won’t discuss all our strategies publicly.”

Meanwhile, the activist has demanded a N500 million from the federal government as compensation for the DSS invasion of his Soka, Ibadan, Oyo state home last week.