Shockwaves are reverberating across Yorùbáland and the global Yorùbá diaspora following the sudden death of the Baba Ọba (King’s Father) of the famed Oyotunji African Village in South Carolina, USA. The late Baba Ọba, Lukman Arohunfale, a revered socialite and traditionalist, passed away under circumstances already sparking fierce controversy. His death comes just days after he publicly accused the newly installed Alaafin of Oyo, His Imperial Majesty Oba Akeem Adéyẹmọ Owoade, of allegedly ordering his courtiers to beat him mercilessly during a recent courtesy visit to the Oyo palace in Nigeria. In a widely circulated voice recording, the deceased recounted how what was meant to be a simple homage turned violent. Although the Baba Ọba had reportedly battled ill health in the past year, growing insinuations suggest that the alleged physical assault may have aggravated his condition, ultimately leading to his untimely death. The palace in Oyo recently denied that s...
Ibrahim David Salami, the counsel for Yoruba Nation agitator, Sunday Adeyemo, popularly known as Sunday Igboho, in Benin Republic, has said that the rights activist was arrested with Nigerian and German passports.
This is contrary to claims that Igboho was tried for possessing a Beninise passport despite not being a citizen of the country.
Salami told BBC Yoruba that “It is not true that Benin Republic passport was found on Sunday Igboho when he was arrested.
“What was found on him were Nigerian and German passport. His wife had only her German passport on her at the point of arrest.”
Following the bloody raid on Igboho’s Sooka residence, the Department of State Services arrested and detained 13 of Igboho’s associates, adding that during a “gun duel,” it had killed two of Igboho’s supporters later identified as Adogan and Alfa.
DSS had presented seven AK-47 rifles allegedly recovered during the raid on Igboho’s house on July 1, as well as three pump-action guns, 30 fully charged AK-47 magazines, 5,000 rounds of 7.62mm ammunition, five cutlasses, one jack-knife, one pen knife, two pistol holsters, a pair of binoculars, a wallet containing $5, local and international driving licences in his name, ATM cards, a German residence permit No. YO2N6K1NY bearing his name, two whistles, 50 cartridges and 18 walkie-talkies.
Others were three charm jackets/traditional body armour, two laptops, one Toshiba and one Compaq laptop, Igboho’s passport and those of his aides.
Meanwhile, the Federal Government had on July 17 said Sunday Igboho is trying to acquire a new passport to flee the country.
It added that the government had placed Igboho on the stop-list in order to facilitate his arrest and directed the security agencies to apprehend him anywhere he is found.
In the security circle, a person whose name is on the stop-list is denied all constitutional rights and privileges a citizen is entitled to.
The Federal Government’s directive against Igboho was contained in a letter by the Nigeria Immigration Service dated July 9, 2021, addressed to the Director-General, Department of State Services, the Inspector General of Police and the DG, National Intelligence Agency.
The activist, a spearhead of the separatist agitation for the Yoruba Nation, had been declared wanted by the Department of State Services on allegations of stockpiling arms to destabilise the country, which he has since denied.
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