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By Lukman Olabiyi
Rights activist and legal practitioner, Kabir Akingbolu, has submitted that the Federal Government may not request for the extradition of the embattled Yoruba nation agitator, Sunday Adeyemo, popularly known as Sunday Igboho, who is currently in Benin Republic prison.
Sunday Igboho was arrested at Benin airport and is currently on trial on charges bordering on illegal entering into the country and planning to cause trouble, but he denied the charges.
But since his arrest, the Nigerian authorities have been silent and have not made a formal extradition request.
Reviewing the circumstance which forced the Yoruba nation agitator to flee from Nigeria, Akingbolu said the probability of the Federal Government filing for Igboho extradition is zero.
He said: “Nigerian government is not likely to file for the extradition of Igboho for reasons best known to it. It is allowed by convention under the ECOWAS; there were arrangements that member states can lawfully demand the extradition of any person who has reasonably been suspected of committing crimes apart from political offences. If you look at it, the offence of Igboho are political offences, so I don’t know the magic the government can perform to succeed in convincing the Government of Benin Republic to extradite him. Although, there was an initial request by Tukur Buratai who is Nigeria’s ambassador in Benin Republic, but he is not the proper or normal authority to do so but the Federal Government.
“On the other hand, it would appear that Nigeria’s government prefers Igboho to be tried in Republic of Benin rather than in Nigeria so that people would not be clamouring for his release by the Federal Government.”
