Until January 15, 2021, Chief Sunday Adeyemo, popularly known as Sunday Igboho, was arguably an unknown personality outside the southwest region.
Igboho and his supporters took the battle to end the herdsmen crisis on their shoulders.
He stormed the Fulani Community in Igangan, Ibarapa Local Council of Oyo State to issue a seven-day quit notice to Fulani herdsmen to vacate the community and all other Yoruba communities or be forced to do so.
Despite a warning by the state governor, Seyi Makinde, against such action, he invaded Igangan and his visit led to a clash between some Yoruba youth and Fulani in the community. Properties were reportedly destroyed.
He also visited Ogun State and vowed to evict Fulani herdsmen in the South-west following the insecurity rocking the region, an action against the laws of the country.
He then became a chief promoter of the Yoruba nation idea and a defender of Yoruba land from the incursion of killer herders who kill, maim and abduct the people.
After holding a series of rallies in some southwest states, he met stiff resistance against any rally in Lagos.
The SSS raided the home of Igboho few hours to the rally, destroying vehicles, including his G-wagon, Prado Jeep, and some valuable properties including furniture, and windows and also uncovering stockpiling of arms. All of these gave him away to the authorities.
Here are few factors which could have contributed ‘negatively’ to Igboho’s travails;
- Feud with Seyi Makinde
Sunday Igboho had a frosty relationship with Seyi Makinde during the build up to the Oyo state 2019 gubernatorial elections.
Makinde rode on the influence of Igboho during his 2019 campaign tour to Oke-Ogun Zone and subsequent endorsement.
Igboho, who is often hailed as ‘owo baba dami’, has no doubt always enjoyed overwhelming popularity from different administrations in Oyo state – from the time of former Governor Rashidi Ladoja.
Igboho was involved in the combative politics between the late political leader, Lamidi Adedibu, and former Oyo State governor, Rashidi Ladoja. He supported Mr Ladoja and acted as his bodyguard throughout the tussle.
During the Kogi Guber elections, Makinde, who was the chairman of the Peoples Democratic Governorship, PDP, campaign also took Igboho as part of his entourage during the build up to the elections.
But, glaringly, things appear not to be smooth as the Governor and Igboho have been on a collision war after the latter reportedly dumped Makinde who he supported in the 2019 elections.
The last straw that broke the camel’s back was the face-off between the duo over the ‘quit notice’ issued to Fulanis in Igangan, Ibarapa East local government over alleged kidnapping and banditry by Igboho.
Igboho’s visit was in defiance to Governor Seyi Makinde’s directive to security agencies to arrest and treat him as a criminal should he carry out his threat to forcefully eject Fulani herdsmen and his kinsmen from the land.
In a viral undated video, Igboho blasted Makinde in Yoruba language. Though he didn’t mention the Governor’s name, he said enough for viewers to know he was referring to Makinde.
He accused the Governor of backing herdsmen, recalling how Makinde relied on him to win votes in 2019.
According to him: “You can bring all Fulanis to Yorubaland, if you like, you unfortunate ones. It will not be well with you.
“You are threatening me in my fatherland with Fulanis. You will not prosper.
“Is it the Fulani’s that make the laws of the land? Have you forgotten when you were ‘bankrolling’ me you wanted to become Governor and all I did for you all during the elections, and now you dare threaten me?
- Utterance against south west monarchs, political leaders
Igboho’s style of speaking created a very bad impression in the minds of many.
Some described him as audacious, but his persistent attacks on various personalities across the south west didn’t go down well with prominent leaders. Traditional rulers, political leaders who were opposed to the agitation were labelled and abused.
For instance, Igboho, while speaking at a meeting with the Yoruba in Diaspora, last February described some prominent Yoruba leaders, including the Ooni of Ife, Enitan Ogunwusi, Oyo State governor, Seyi Makinde; and Oluwo of Iwo, Abdulrasheed Akanbi, as “Fulani slaves.”
He later sought the forgiveness of Mr Ogunwusi. The Ooni forgave him.
- Igboho’s uncouth words and inciting statements
Everywhere Igboho went, he naturally won the confidence of the common man, but one striking problem was his uncouth words and inciting statements which could stoke ethnic tension especially amidst the rising insecurity.
His inciting statements was a source of concern to many especially security operatives who feared there might be a repeat of the #EndSARS protests.
Igboho in series of videos had always lambasted and placed curses on those who are against the Yourba Nation struggle.
- From campaign against killer herders to Yoruba Nation agitation
To many, how Sunday Igboho changed so swiftly from being an activist fighting against killer herdsmen to being a freedom fighter remains a mystery.
From the man who was fighting to end the terror of killer herdsmen in Yorubaland, to agitating for the separation of Yoruba Nation from Nigeria, showed he mixed up the whole struggle without clear clarity.
- Undermining the government
Sunday Igboho had announced that Yoruba Nation was no longer part of Nigeria, and that they were ready to walk away and were not afraid of what the Nigerian government would do to them.
He also threatened that there would not be any election in the Southwest in 2023, saying the people of Yoruba Nation were weary of Nigeria.
Igboho added that the Yoruba people could no longer tolerate the feudal and political dominance in the federation, which he said, had been a source of concern nationwide
