A group of Yoruba farmers popularly known as the Agbekoya Farmers Society has declared it is ready to take on the federal government over the recent arrest of Yoruba Nation agitator, Sunday Igboho.
The group in its reaction to the recent arrest of Igboho in Benin Republic by security operatives, demanded his unconditional release.
It noted that the agitation being championed by Igboho and others is a result of growing insecurity and other challenges in the country which the Nigerian government has failed to deal with.
Naija News previously reported that Chief Sunday Adeyemo, popularly known as Sunday Igboho was arrested on Monday alongside his wife in Benin Republic while they were trying to travel to Germany.
The arrest comes about three weeks after the Department of State Services (DSS) raided his Ibadan residence and arrested some of his aides.
The secret police declared Igboho himself wanted for allegedly stockpiling weapons, an allegation he has already denied.
Speaking on the development with TheCable on Wednesday, Olatunji Bandele, national publicity secretary of Agbekoya Farmers Society, said President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration should have a rethink about the arrest of Igboho and IPOB leader, Nnamdi Kanu.
It said the government is acting in a barbaric manner as Igboho has not done anything wrong for him to be hounded by security forces.
The group added that while the government and security forces are going after harmless agitators, it has refused to do anything about the activities of criminal herdsmen and bandits roaming the forests with sophisticated weapons.
Bandele said in part: “The position of Agbekoya is that federal government should have a rethink about Nnamdi Kanu and Igboho. The agitations are at the instance of the injustices, killing, banditry and kidnapping. Agbekoya is ready to fight for Igboho’s freedom. Nothing must happen to him.
“We have never had it as worse under any democratic government as we have it under Buhari and it is a pity.”
He added: “Our position is that Igboho and Kanu should be released. Igboho is not a criminal. What is wrong in speaking against killing of one’s people?
“Is there any law that supports carrying out an arrest in the middle of the night, shooting for up to four hours and killing people in the house? They even took away the corpses; that is barbaric. Agitation is a product of insecurity.”
Meanwhile, armed policemen on Wednesday dispersed supporters of Sunday Adeyemo, aka Sunday Igboho, who staged a protest in Ibadan against his arrest.
It was gathered that the armed policemen had taken over the place which the protester had converged around 3.30 pm.
The policemen stationed themselves at strategic positions at the location. After clearing the traffic, they stayed for a while before they finally left.
This article was originally published on Nigeria News