SaharaReporters reported on Monday that Igboho had told his supporters and loyalists not to wait for the government’s intervention before taking steps to fight the Fulani herders who are denying local farmers from accessing their farmland in the South-West region.
The Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN) has called for the arrest of Chief Sunday Adeyemo, popularly known as Sunday Igboho, a Yoruba self-determination activist for allegedly threatening Fulani in a video.
SaharaReporters reported on Monday that Igboho had told his supporters and loyalists not to wait for the government’s intervention before taking steps to fight the Fulani herders who are denying local farmers from accessing their farmland in the South-West region.
He had said, “This is our domain. We should save ourselves from Fulani. We should put security in all Yoruba land. We did not need to wait for anybody including the government. If we really mean business, we should not wait for the government or else Fulani will carry all our lands. We should be united. Which farms do we have again in Yoruba land? Can we go to farm now?”
Igboho had claimed that the people of South-West should unite to create a regional security force that protects them from incessant Fulani herders’ attacks on their farmland, adding that his pursuit for the actualisation of the Yoruba Nation would be done legally.
He stated that he was willing to engage with the government to discuss lawful ways to pursue his course.
On Friday SaharaReporters reported that the Nigerian military expressed its readiness to work with Yoruba activist, Sunday Adeyemo, to flush bandits terrorising people out of forests and highways in Southwest Nigeria.
Maj.-Gen. Edward Buba, spokesman for Defence Media Operations, stated this in a viral video seen by SaharaReporters, adding that any action taken by Igboho without the involvement of military forces and other security agencies in the country would be considered unconstitutional.
Reacting to Igboho in a statement by the MACBAN national president, Baba Othman Ngelzarma, the Miyetti Allah called for his arrest and prosecution for making “treasonable statement.”
Ngelzarma said that Igboho’s bold proclamation sent shockwaves through the community, prompting swift reactions from various quarters, adding that his call for the actualisation of Oduduwa nation amounted to treasonable felony.
The statement partly read: “We call on the commander-in-chief of the armed forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, President Bola Tinubu (GCFR) and relevant security agencies to arrest and prosecute Sunday Igboho for making this unlawful statement that amounts to treason because he is asking for the actualisation of Oduduwa nation.
“His statements are unlawful. If Nnamdi Kanu will be held behind bars for a similar offence, we see no reason why Sunday Igboho will be allowed to go scot-free without being arrested and prosecuted.”
The MACBAN emphasised the need for law and order, denouncing any form of vigilantism or ethnic profiling, stressing that individuals should be held accountable for their actions, regardless of their ethnic or religious background.
Credit: Sahara Reporters
