October 23, (THEWILL) – The Pan Yoruba socio-political group, Afenifere, on Friday knocked the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice Abubakar Malami, over the claim that the leader of the Yoruba nation agitator, Sunday Adeyemo popularly known as Sunday Igboho, has ties with major sponsors of terrorism in Nigeria.
The group in a statement signed by its Secretary-General, Chief Sola Ebiseni, said the latest claims made by Malami indicated that the Federal Government is hell-bent on destroying Adeyemo.
Ebiseni said: “The Federal Government with its Attorney General, will not stop amusing themselves with illogical reasoning on the nationality question.
“It is expected that the AG would be guided by the standard of a reasonable man, which is a central test in legal inquiry, before addressing the public.
“This time around, the team set up by him, at a time he is hell-bent on nailing Igboho, has satisfied his emotional expectations, but in a most unreasonable and tenuous manner, by suggesting that Sunday Igboho, a Yoruba nation campaigner, would be on the same sponsorship with Boko Haram.
“Only someone with pathological hatred for Igboho and insult to the Yoruba nation will find a common bed for Yoruba nation agitation and Boko Haram which is known to act in tandem with the Fulani herdsmen whose terrorist acts were responsible for Igboho’s campaigns.
“The whole world knows what Igboho stood and still stands for and his peaceful modus operandi, in spite of the unwarranted invasion of his house which was aimed at his life by the Federal Government.
“It is of amusing cruelty that the Federal Government which was unable to defend itself of terrorism against Igboho and for which it was handed N20 billion in aggravated damages, would turn around that Igboho received less than N200 million to sponsor terrorism since 2013 when Igboho had never been heard of and when Major General Muhammad Buhari, as former Military Head of State then was campaigning for the Sharia as a law of general application in Nigeria.
“The Federal Government and its security agencies should better pay the damages awarded against them, apologise to Igboho and his household for the acts of terrorism committed against the peaceful campaigner.
“The Federal Government may continue to play the ostrich, the whole world knows those who enacted, engineered, and continue to promote terrorism in Nigeria.”
Also, in its reaction, the Umbrella Body of Yoruba Self-Determination Groups, Ilana Omo Oodua, described the allegation of terrorism against Igboho, as an inconsistent expression, coined to tarnish “a noble and Constitutional struggle of the Yoruba people”.
The Group, led by Prof. Banji Akintoye, said the statement linking Ighoho with an indicted sponsor of terrorism is “empty, watery, cruel and irresponsible”, stating that “the Nigerian Government is just chasing shadows and attempting to bully the struggle for Self-Determination of the Yoruba people out of relevance”.
The group in a statement issued on Friday by its Communications Secretary, Maxwell Adeleye, said, “Our preliminary position is that having been defeated legally and morally, the Fulani-controlled Government of Nigeria is now chasing shadows, bullying the truth, and making an inconsistent attempt to tarnish a noble struggle of the Yoruba people.
“FG also accused an invincible lawmaker of sponsoring Igboho and the struggle for self-determination in Yorubaland. The transactions between Ighoho and the Federal lawmaker was dated back to 2013. That was hilarious and absolutely inconsistent. Was there a struggle for Self-Determination In 2013?
“We are, however, glad that the Nigerian Government is now displaying heavy shallowness and emptiness before the world while attempting to bully and tarnish a just and constitutional agenda that has been declared noble and legal by a Court of Competent Jurisdiction which the Government has not appealed against.
“To us in IOO, the accusations against Igboho are ridiculous, cruel, petty, irresponsible, and childish. The Nigerian Government is now frustrated having lost the battle against the agitations for Self-Determination, both in the courts of law and public opinion, hence, resorted to blackmail and media bullying.
“Therefore, the Yoruba people are anxiously waiting to know the invincible Federal lawmaker accused by the Fulani-controlled Nigerian Government of supporting Igboho so that we can celebrate him or her as a true son or daughter of the soil for associating with a just and noble cause.”
Meanwhile, one of the Counsels to Igboho, Chief Yomi Alliyu has challenged the minister to name the lawmaker allegedly sponsoring the agitator.
The AGF had linked Igboho to a terrorism sponsor, claiming that the he is also being financed by a lawmaker.
Alliyu in a statement on Friday described the AGF statement as mere conjectures lacking hard facts.
The statement reads: “Our attention has been drawn to a text press conference by the Hon Attorney General and Minister of Finance wherein he fruitlessly tried to paint our client and those patronising his car trade as terrorists and/or financiers of terrorists.
“I have gone through the text. Sunday was alleged to have transferred the sum of #12.7m to Abbal Bako & Sons owned by Abdullahi Umar. Transferring money to bureau de change to buy dollars is what is done by every businessman of our client’s calibre. Thank God that his passports and various bills of ladings were carted away by DSS during the ungodly invasion of 1st July, 2021.
“Thus, so far there is no evidence of receipt of money from Abbal Bako & Sons or Abdullahi Umar going by the text conference. What the Hon AGF stated are mere conjectures. Not a hard fact. Our client according to him paid Umar and NOT vice versa thus believing what the Honourable Attorney General of Federation earlier said that Chief Sunday Adeyemo is being financed by people.
“The picture the Learned AGF wanted to paint is that our Client is being financed by Abdullah Umar, allegedly involved in terrorist financing. Who is now financing who?
“Again, Chief Adeyemo is a car dealer trading in the name of Adesun International Concept Ltd. Does it mean that anybody buying a car from him or selling a car to him is a terrorist?
“Chief Sunday Adeyemo a.k.a Igboho Oosa was not into Oodua Nation until last year. So finding over #273m turnover between October 2013 and September 2020 shows that he was not a poor man. His house invaded by DSS on 1st July 2020 is worth over #2billion!
“I challenge the Hon AGF to mention the lawmaker that sent money to Chief Sunday Adeyemo for a terrorist act whether he would not be awarded exemplary damages for defamation.
“Up till date our client has not been prosecuted or found liable for any criminal act or terrorism. There is also a VALID AND SUBSISTING court judgement that agitation for self determination is not an act of terrorism but fundamental human right of any citizen.
“My Learned brother Silk and Hon AGF know that suspicion no matter how great cannot grant conviction.
“Chief Sunday Adeyemo is not a terrorist but a campaigner for self-determination”.
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