A United Kingdom-based Yoruba Self-Determination Group, Yoruba Voice of Liberation, has reacted to the planned extradition of detained Yoruba Nation agitator, Sunday Adeyemo, popularly known as Sunday Igboho back to Nigeria.
Sunday Igboho was declared wanted by the Department of State Services (DSS) earlier in July after his Ibadan house was raided by operatives of the DSS operatives.
Two of his guards were killed by the DSS in the late-night raid while 13 other people were forcefully arrested in the compound and taken to Abuja where they have since been held incommunicado.
Sunday Igboho’s Arrest in Benin Republic
The Yoruba activist was arrested on Monday, July 19, 2021, by the International Criminal Police Organisation at the Cadjèhoun Airport in Cotonou, Republic of Benin.
Igboho was arrested with his Germany-based wife, Ropo, at the airport while they reportedly tried to catch a flight to Germany around 8 pm on Monday.
He is being tried for migration-related issues after he was allegedly caught with a fake Beninese passport at the point of his departure to Germany through an Air France flight.
Although the Cour De’appal De Cotonou ruled on Thursday that Ropo should be released unconditionally as there were no charges against her, Igboho is spending his first weekend in a police cell in Cotonou.
Extradition of Sunday Igboho by Nigerian Government
It was learnt that the Nigerian Government is seeking for the extradition of Sunday Igboho whom it accused of importing firearms in the country.
The source told Saturday PUNCH that the Nigerian Government has made attempts to get Igboho, but Benin Republic didn’t release him because the latter has not even identified him as a Nigerian.
Reacting in a statement issued on Friday, the Yoruba Self-Determination Group called on Benin Republic to respect its internal law and obligations to the international law by rejecting the request of the Nigerian Government to extradite Sunday Igboho.
The group, in a statement signed by its President and Secretary, Mr. Ayo Faleti and Dr. Ademola Adekunle, respectively, alleged that Igboho would be killed by the Nigerian government if extradited.
“On escaping the attempt on his life, Chief Sunday Adeyemo, fleeing from persecution made it to Republic of Benin. Article 14 Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), adopted in 1948, established that everyone has the right to seek and to enjoy in other countries asylum from persecution.
“The Right to Asylum defines that no state party shall expel, return (“refouler”), surrender or extradite a person to another State where there are substantial grounds for believing that he or she would be in danger of being subjected to enforced disappearance.
“For the purpose of determining whether there are such grounds, the competent authorities shall take into account all relevant considerations, including, where applicable, the existence in the State concerned of a consistent pattern of gross, flagrant or mass violations of human rights or of serious violations of international humanitarian law.
“The constitutions of Benin directly cite the Declaration reaffirm our attachment to the principles of democracy and human rights as they have been defined by the Charter of the United Nations of 1945 and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights of 1948, by the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights adopted in 1981 by the Organization of African Unity and ratified by Bénin on January 20, 1986 and whose provisions make up an integral part of this present Constitution and of Béninese law and have a value superior to the internal law”
“We continue to call on the Republic of Benin to stand up to its international obligation and responsibilities by refusing to hand over to the Nigerian government Chief Sunday Adeyemo,” the statement partly reads.
KanyiDaily had published a video showing the moment armed gunmen suspected to be DSS operatives attacked the residence of Sunday Igboho in Ibadan.
