Popular Yoruba Nation agitator, Sunday Adeyemo otherwise known as Sunday Igboho may be seeking asylum in the Republic of Benin, in a bid to stop his extradition to Nigeria, a report has said.
Recall in the background, the Federal Government of Nigeria through the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) had ordered the Department of State Services (DSS); Nigeria Police Force; and the National Intelligence Agency (NIA) to place Igboho on a stop-list, in order to stop him from fleeing the country.
Also, the DSS had placed the activist on a wanted list after a failed attempt to arrest him during the raid on his residence located in the Soka area of Ibadan, Oyo State.
The activist would later go underground and re-appear in Benin, where he was apprehended by the Beninoise authorities while trying to flee to Germany.
Igboho, alongside his wife, Ropo who was also arrested were arraigned before the Cour De’appal De Cotonou. However, the court ruled on Thursday that Ropo should be released unconditionally as there were no charges against her, while Igboho was returned to the custody of the security operatives.
Meanwhile, a report by the Punch quoted a source to have said Igboho is currently seeking asylum in Benin Republic, Nigeria’s next-door neighbour to the West.
According to the report, the activist had started the process of filing the asylum application. The source also added that Igboho had initially filed an asylum application in Germany before he was apprehended on Monday night.
“Igboho has already applied for asylum in Germany and he hopes to file a similar application in Benin Republic in the coming days,” the source reportedly said.
Speaking further, the source said the activist is being tried for migration-related issues, adding that Igboho allegedly presented a fake passport to the immigration officers in order to flee to Germany.
“He (Igboho) was already at the airport with a passport. The immigration officers suspected his passport to be fake and so they stopped him. A passport was allegedly forged for Igboho in the Benin Republic for the purpose of the Germany trip. At the airport, they discovered he was the one.”
