Yoruba nation activist, Chief Sunday Adeyemo, popularly known as Sunday Igboho, has commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, South-West governors and traditional rulers in Yorubaland following his recent return to Nigeria after nearly five years in exile.
Igboho, who arrived in the country last Monday, said the support and interventions of key Yoruba leaders played a significant role in easing his return home, describing the moment as emotional and historic.
The activist had gone into exile after the administration of late President Muhammadu Buhari declared him wanted over allegations of stockpiling arms and ammunition, claims he consistently denied.
His ordeal began on July 1, 2021, when operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS), alongside military personnel, carried out a midnight raid on his residence in Ibadan, Oyo State, in an attempt to arrest him. The operation led to the deaths of two of his aides, while 13 others were arrested.
Following the raid, Igboho fled the country and was later arrested in the Benin Republic while attempting to travel to Germany. He spent several months in detention before being released under strict conditions, which kept him away from Nigeria until his recent return.
Speaking after his arrival, Igboho expressed gratitude to President Tinubu for what he described as a more inclusive and reconciliatory approach to national issues, as well as to South-West governors and Yoruba traditional rulers for standing by him during his years in exile.
He said his return marked a new chapter, urging unity, peace and dialogue in the pursuit of justice and development for the Yoruba people and Nigeria at large.
Igboho’s homecoming has continued to attract public attention, with supporters and sympathisers describing it as a significant moment in the ongoing discourse around self-determination and regional security in the South-West.
