Yoruba activist, Sunday Adeyemo popularly known as Sunday Igboho has been released from detention by the government of the Federal Republic of Benin. This was announced by a Yoruba group, Ilana Omo Ooduwa in a statement made by the group spokesperson, Maxwell Adeleye on Monday. It was reported that the human rights activist was released to the leader of the “Umbrella of the Yoruba self-determination groups”, Professor Banji Akintoye. When speaking about the release, the professor described it as a triumph of truth over darkness in Yoruba land.
It can be recalled that Igboho escaped from a deadly raid at his Ibadan residence by the operatives of the Department of state service on July 1, 2021. About 13 of his associates were arrested and two lost their lives in the process. Many weapons including AK-47 rifles, cutlasses, pistols, and charms were allegedly recovered during the raid. The activist escaped to Benin Republic but was arrested when he tried to get out of the country. It was reported that he was trying to escape to Germany using a fake passport.
The pan-Yoruba socio-political organization, Afenifere, congratulated the Yoruba people on his released and described it as a victory for self-determination. They thanked the teams of lawyers who followed his case from the time he was arrested to when he was released.