Igboho seeks Ooni’s intervention to clear name from FG wanted list

Yoruba Nation agitator, Sunday Adeyemo, popularly known as Sunday Igboho, has appealed to the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, to intervene and help secure his removal from the Federal Government’s wanted list.

Igboho, who visited the Ooni at his Ile-Oodua Palace in Ile-Ife on Saturday, also sought assistance in unfreezing his bank accounts, which have been under embargo since his clash with security agencies in 2021.

The activist was declared wanted by the Department of State Services (DSS) in July 2021 for allegedly stockpiling arms and ammunition, following a crackdown on secessionist agitation in the South-West.

During the visit, Igboho, accompanied by a large entourage of friends and associates, apologised to the monarch for past verbal attacks and expressed gratitude for the warm reception accorded to him.

“I want you to forgive and forget whatever wrong I have done to you. You are my father, and you can’t do away with me. I know you have forgiven me going by this warm reception accorded us,” Igboho said in Yoruba language.

He added: “I am here to further seek your help as you have been doing before. I am still on the Federal Government wanted list, and I want you to help me clear my name.

“Also, my account is frozen, and I want you to assist me with that too. I want the embargo placed on my account to be lifted, and I know you are the one who can do it for me.

“When I visited the Olowo of Owo, the monarch asked if I had seen the Ooni, and I told him no. He told me to come and see you as you are the overall authority.”

The activist, who returned to Nigeria after spending years in exile in Benin Republic, also reiterated his commitment to improving security in Yorubaland, warning that criminality in the North was creeping into the region.

“You organised a summit recently. I was in Germany then, but I joined virtually. During the event, you honoured me. After the programme, I burst into tears because I was overwhelmed by emotions. I told the person beside me that this was the same Ooni that I once abused,” he said.

“I want you to keep working on the security issue in Yorubaland. The insecurity in the North and other parts of the country is creeping into Yorubaland. I want you to send us into the forest. We will flush out all those kidnappers. We have the capacity to protect our people. Oodua’s descendants are not slaves to the Fulani. As I always tell people, Ooni is the head of all monarchs in Nigeria.”

In his response, Oba Ogunwusi praised Igboho’s passion for the Yoruba cause and assured him of support, noting that he had forgiven him for past comments.

The monarch also promised to explore avenues to assist Igboho in resolving the issues surrounding his movement restrictions and frozen accounts.