The camp of Yoruba nation agitator, Sunday Adeyemo, alias Sunday Igboho, on Saturday denied that he was about to have a dialogue with the federal authorities over his agitation for secession.
Reacting last night to Friday’s offer by the Oluwo of Iwo, Osun State, Oba Abdulrosheed Akanbi, to intervene in the face-off between the government and Igboho, the spokesman for the activist, Olayomi Koiki, said there had been no contact between the monarch and the agitator lately.
Koiki also denied that Igboho was about to drop the agitation for a Yoruba nation.
But the Oluwo said only Igboho “can speak for himself” on whether he is ready for talks of not.
“Nobody can speak for him,” he told The Nation on the phone.
The Presidency itself appeared to play down the matter when contacted on Saturday.
A source said only the Director of the Department of State Services (DSS), the Nigeria Police Force and the Attorney-General of the Federation, Mr. Abubakar Malami, SAN, could determine Igboho’s fate.
It was the DSS that coordinated the raid in the activist’s Ibadan residence recently, arrested some of his aides and declared him wanted.
Igboho has since gone underground.
Koiki, his spokesman, told The Nation that he was not aware of any contact lately between Oba Akanbi and Igboho.
“Not at any time, not even a single call,” he said.
But he admitted that Igboho visited the Oba way back in 2018 to reciprocate a similar one by the traditional ruler to the activist. He said it was on that occasion at the Oluwo’s palace that the photograph of Igboho prostrating for the Oba, now trending on social media, was taken.
“The news that Chief Sunday Adeyemo visited the Oluwo of Iwo, Oba Abdulrasheed Akanbi is not true,” he said.
“The 2018 picture was taken during a return visit after he (Oluwo) came to chief’s house.”
He insisted that Igboho has also not dropped his agitation for a Yoruba nation. He said any claim to the contrary is a lie.
Contacted last night on the reaction from Igboho’s camp, Oba Akanbi said: “It is only Igboho that can speak for himself now. Nobody can speak for him. If he wants to continue fighting the way he has been fighting, let him go ahead.
SEE: Stop Pursuing Sunday Igboho; Apologise To Him Now— Prof. Soyinka Tells FG
“If he wants his normal life back, let him go for peace. It is either he goes for peace or continues with ‘catch me if you can,’ with the DSS. The option is there for Igboho, but I won’t advise him to talk or say a word until peace is made.
“To return his life back to normal is my desire. Anybody that wants to lead the agitation can go ahead. It is Igboho that has something to protect. He has a life. He is our son, we won’t allow something bad to happen to him. He has a name. Sunday Igboho does not deal with some of those people who say they are speaking for him. Why didn’t you ask them when they spoke with Igboho?
“It is unfortunate that the majority of them are pushing him. They will just continue to push him until they kill him. To the extent that the DSS could claim responsibility that they attacked his house. They (DSS), said: ‘We went to Igboho’s house and we killed two people.’
“I think they just want to push him into trouble. Even before the current agitations, he was not poor. He was only misinformed and he has realised this.”
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