Olubadan Receives Igboho in Ibadan After Return From Exile, Calls for Restraint
The Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Rashidi Ladoja, on Monday in Ibadan, Oyo State, received Yoruba Nation activist, Sunday Adeyemo, popularly known as Sunday Igboho, following his return to Nigeria after his reported removal from the Federal Government’s wanted list, a development facilitated by the intervention of prominent Yoruba monarchs.
Igboho paid a courtesy visit to the monarch at his Bodija residence shortly after arriving in the country, a move seen as an expression of gratitude for the traditional rulers’ role in easing the circumstances that led to his years-long absence from Nigeria.
While hosting the activist, Oba Ladoja thanked God for Igboho’s safe return and urged him to remain hopeful and conduct himself peacefully in the interest of stability.
“Where there is life, there is hope. We thank God that you have arrived safely,” the monarch said, while also offering prayers for Igboho and his family.
The visit followed a disclosure by Igboho’s spokesman, Koiti Olayomi, who stated on Sunday that arrangements had been concluded for his principal’s return after traditional rulers prevailed on President Bola Tinubu to remove Igboho’s name from the list of wanted persons.
According to Olayomi, those who intervened include the Olubadan of Ibadanland, the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, and the Olugbon of Orile Igbon, Oba Francis Alao, among others.
Olayomi said in the statement that Igboho had been cleared by the Presidency and “may return to the country at any moment and will be fully reintegrated after his clearance has been granted.”
Speaking during the visit and accompanied by supporters, Igboho expressed appreciation to Oba Ladoja for his support during what he described as a trying period in his life.
“I thank God for knowing Kabiyesi. I am very happy that I met him, not knowing that he would be among those who would help me out of this problem,” he said.
He added that Yoruba people across the world were grateful for the monarch’s intervention, describing his return to Nigeria as the closing of a painful chapter.
Igboho had left Nigeria on July 1, 2021, after a joint operation by the Department of State Services and the Nigerian Army raided his Ibadan residence over allegations of stockpiling arms and ammunition.
The operation came amid his agitation against armed Fulani herdsmen in the South-West following attacks on farmers. During the raid, three of his aides were killed while 13 others were arrested.
He later fled to Benin Republic with plans to travel to Germany but was arrested at the Cotonou Airport on July 19, 2021, and detained for more than a year before his release in March 2022.
At the Ibadan meeting, Oba Ladoja advised Igboho to exercise wisdom and restraint going forward, emphasizing the need for peace and harmony as he reintegrates into Nigerian society.
