Why I Fled Nigeria, Sunday Igboho Narrates To Benin Court

Sunday Adeyemo (Igboho), standing trial in the Benin Republic has told the court that he fled Nigeria to avoid being killed.

The Yoruba Nation agitator, who was arrested on July 19 with his wife while attempting to travel to Germany, has been charged with illegal entry into the Benin Republic.

He is also explaining his mission in Cotonou, the Benin Republic capital.

The court ruled that he should be relocated to prison from police custody.

Igboho’s lawyer, David Ibrahim Salami, told The Nation in Cotonou what transpired at the Benin Court of Appeal on Monday where the agitator appeared before three judges.

He was in court from 7:30 am till about midnight.

Salami, a Professor of Law in a Beninoise University, said:

“While defending himself on the criminal allegations put on his head by Nigeria, Igboho told the judges that he had never been tried for any crime in his life.”

According to Salami, Igboho said he had neither been invited to any police station nor any formal charges brought against him as a result of his agitation for the separation of Yoruba nation from Nigeria.

He explained that he was only trying to free ‘his people’ from the atrocities of killer-herdsmen, which made him incur the wrath of some powerful individuals in government.

“When the judge asked him how and when he entered the Benin Republic, who housed him and who took him to the airport, Igboho told the court that his coming to the Benin Republic was to flee from his traducers who wanted to kill him in Nigeria.

“He stressed that he spent less than one day in Cotonou before attempting to travel to Germany,” Salami added.

The lawyer spoke further:

“What amazed me is the fact that the judge was explicit that Igboho’s continued detention is not as a result of his issues with Nigeria, that he is being sent to prison because of infractions committed here in the Benin Republic.”

Salami said Igboho was sent to prison to allow investigation into how he came into Cotonou and why.

Salami said no date had been fixed for the continuation of trial because the authorities would need time to investigate how Igboho entered the country.