•The Inside Story
There has been an age-long rift between Aare Gani Adams and Chief Sunday Adeyemo, popularly called Sunday Igboho, for more than a decade. These two powerful individuals were like cat and dog. They don’t see eye to eye. In fact, a few years ago when these two men met at a party, they fought .It was an event that had the creme de la creme, kings and high profile personalities in attendance. Chief Igboho who was known as a freedom fighter was then rumoured to have cautioned Aare Gani Adams for his utterances against Yoruba Kings at that event. And since then the both have not really had a course to be together.
Last year October 1st, there was a rally where Yoruba elders rallied to demand the Oduduwa Republic and this was led by Chief Sunday Igboho as a result of the absence of Aare Gani Adams. These two men also exchanged banters on social media where Chief Sunday Igboho was alleged to have said that, some key Yoruba people were betraying the collective dream of Yoruba and Aare Gani Adams name was mentioned. And it was also rumoured that as a result of the rally the Aare Onakankanfo sneaked out of Nigeria to another country, but all these were rebuffed.
According to Aare Gani, he replied that “He (Igboho) never met with me on the said rally. Given my position as the generalissimo of the Yoruba race, if you want me to join you, I expect you to come and meet me at home and respectfully seek my support.
“If the time is right for the protest, I will let you know. If the timing is wrong, I will guide you on what steps to take. He only called me on social media to inform me about the rally. That to me is not proper”.
“Some people are even suspecting that Igboho is being sponsored to cause division among the Yoruba”.
“ We have cases where the government plant people to start a struggle and such a person will be speaking to you as if he is sincere not knowing that his real intentions are to penetrate you, get all the secrets in the group and then leak it to the government. We must be very careful” said Gani Adams.
A few months back, Chief Sunday Igboho, gave the Fulani herdsmen in Ibarapa seven days ultimatum to vacate the town owing to various crimes happening in the vicinity. After the seven-day ultimatum given to them expired, Chief Sunday went ahead to evict the Fulani herdsmen in the community and this was highly commended by the sons and daughters of the Yoruba, while Aare Onakankanfo who is also the leader of Oodu’a People Congress, was missing in action. A lot of people called him out on social media on why he has refused to play his role in defending Yoruba from Fulani incessant killings. After all, he’s been made Yoruba warlord.
There was all sorts of noise after the Fulani eviction that Chief Sunday was going to be arrested, but Yoruba elders came out to condemn it and a lot of people also spoke against it
When Aare Onakakanfo appeared of Arise TV, he said: “It was not only Sunday Igboho that security operatives targeted for arrest, I was the number one person for arrest, I was targeted for some political reasons.”
He noted that some politicians have infiltrated the struggle despite the genuine concerns by Sunday Igboho to fight for his people.
He said: “The same people who attacked and condemned us in 2015 using social media are now coming to portray themselves as activist to use Sunday Igboho.
“Now, we woke up to hear his (Sunday) house got burnt. Who are the people that went to burn Sunday Igboho house?
“The issue with Sunday Igboho’s braveness now is that he has been used to destroy some political enemies.”
When asked if he and Sunday Igboho have spoken in connection with the plight of Yourbas on criminal herdsmen, he said: “I have only met Sunday Igboho once and that was at a function.
“I started this struggle when I was 23 years, OPC was not even formed then, I risked everything for Yorubaland. I didn’t surrender … how can Sunday Igboho use his bravery of one day to destroy somebody who has been in the struggle for 28 years?
“Yoruba always destroy their warriors in the end. You know what happened to Abiola now even as the 14th Aare of Yoruba land.”
A few days when Chief Sunday Igboho carried out his eviction notice in Ibarapa, his house at Soka, in Ibadan was burnt by the suspected Fulani herdsmen. That was when the beginning of bromance between the two warlords was beginning to manifest. The Aare Ona Kakanfo fumed at the incident. In a statement, he said the development was an attempt to frustrate the activist, who has been vocal against killings and kidnappings in the South-West.
Gani Adams, in a statement, urged the authorities to unravel the perpetrators.
“The ugly incident speaks volume of the spate of insecurity across the country. The government is in the best position to investigate the circumstances”, he said.
The Yoruba leader also commended the South-West Governors for raising their voices against open-grazing across the region.
Adams said the new agreement was a good response and a step in the right direction.
“The underlying motive is to reduce the growing tension. But in solving these problems, we need to support the Southwest Security Network better known as Operation Amotekun.
“Hisbah, the security outfit in the North, has been in existence for years, and presently in about 13 states. Unfortunately, some individuals in the South-West are determined to change people’s perception about Amotekun”, he regretted.
Despite all these development, the two hadn’t met and they never called themselves on phone but there seems to be cooperation and a common goal between the two.
There was a rumour from a reliable source that when Chief Igboho had a meeting with the leaders of Afenifere last months, headed by Pa. Ayo Adebanjo, he was told/advised to work with Aare Onakakanfo. When former Aviation Minister, Chief Femi Fani Kayode, also visited him in his Ibadan home, he also advised him to work with the OPC National leader for the betterment of Yoruba nation.
There are some Yoruba Kings and elders who have called Aare Gani Adams and Sunday Igboho to work together and have also pleaded for unity as well.
After the meeting with Afenifere, on his (Igboho) way to Ibadan, he visited Aare Gani Adams in his Magodo home, in Lagos. That was the first time the of them would be meeting to have a peaceful discussion. In the meeting, they both shared a lot and how people have been trying to divide them not to work together.
Aare spoke about how Sunday Igboho told him during their meeting how some people approached him to be wary of him that if he visited him he would destroy him.
He went further to say that Igboho is his brother who is a warrior who came at the nick of time for the course of Yoruba freedom.
He talked about the roles of Aare Ona Kakanfo and when he would lead a battle. That henceforth, if he hears anything from Sunday Igboho, he would call to ask and he expects the same from him.
Reacting to another question, Aare Gani Adams hailed the Yoruba activist, Chief Sunday Adeyemo popularly known as Sunday Igboho for his laudable intervention.
Aare Adams in a video interview described the new Yoruba hero as a paragon of virtue saying many people may think he is illiterate but he has native intelligence.
He said: “people of Oke-Ogun and Ibarapa put pressure on Sunday Igboho because they know he is famous and has security advantage and a reason he was called to assist them.
“He called our attention to his decision and I say anybody that goes against him; is an enemy of Yorubaland, because Yoruba are in pain over the issue of insecurity. Now, if you clampdown on Sunday Ighoho, hundreds of ‘Sunday Igbohos’ are ready to come out because we now realized we have to protect ourselves by all means.
– ISAAC ABIMBADE
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