Yoruba Nation agitator Igboho on Sunday, clocked 49 years old in detention in Cotonou, Benin Republic.
This is as the leader of the umbrella body of the Yoruba self-determination group known as Ilana Omo Oodua, Prof Banji Akintoye, assured Igboho that he has not been forgotten and would soon be released to celebrate his next birthday as a free man.
Akintoye’s spokesman, Maxwell Adeleye, made this known on Sunday.
He said, “Igboho is a prisoner of conscience; he is a man of the people.
People like him are never forgotten. He has chosen to stand by his people and I have never seen someone who stands by his people and is defeated. Igboho can never be defeated.
“So, on behalf of all organisations under Ilana Omo Oodua, we wish him Happy 49th Birthday. He can be assured that his 50th birthday would be celebrated globally and we shall laugh last at the end of the journey.”
Also, the Aareonakakanfo of Yorubaland, Gani Adams, in a statement on Sunday, congratulated Igboho and pleaded the Benin Republic government to release the Yoruba nation agitator unconditionally.
The statement titled, ‘Gani Adams congratulates Igboho on 49th birthday anniversary’ was signed by Adams’ Media Assistant, Kehinde Aderemi.
"The struggle for the liberation of our race is one struggle that cannot die, and no matter the threats or injustice meted out to each and every one of us, we remain unshaken that the struggle for a just society where life is meaningful is a dream that can only become a reality in a Yorubaland.
“I once celebrated one of my birthdays in detention and in those trying moments, I felt the urge never to look back but look up to God and that actually raised my spirit that whether now or later justice will triumph. I will be set free from the bondage of injustice. And it all came to pass.
“Unfortunately, this same experience is playing out in the case of Igboho as he turns 49 today, but I am sure that he will surely be set free because the activist is not fighting a wrong cause but a cause for the liberation of our race,” Adams was quoted as saying.
Born on October 10, 1972, Igboho and Akintoye had been seen together at press conferences and rallies championing the cause to secede from the Nigerian state and establish a Yoruba Nation.
Igboho’s troubles started when the Department of State Services raided his residence around 1am on July 1, 2021.
During the raid, the secret police had said it killed two of his associates and arrested about 12 others during the bloody raid. Ten of the detainees had since regained freedom after the court granted them bail while the DSS has refused to release the other two aides of the agitator.
Igboho, who narrowly escaped the bloody raid, was subsequently declared wanted for allegedly stockpiling arms to destabilise Nigeria under the pretext of Yoruba Nation, an allegation he denied.
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