The pan Yoruba socio-political organisation, Afenifere, has said that the federal government is more interested in quelling agitations for self-determination rather than confronting insecurity and economic challenges facing the country.
Afenifere stated this Sunday in a statement made available to newsmen in Ibadan by its national publicity secretary, Comrade Jare Ajayi.
The organisation added that there is the need for the federal government to focus more on the insecurity and economic tragedy that are fast sinking Nigeria as a country.
The statement reads in part: “It is a big pity that this government seems to be more interested in quelling agitations for self-determination rather than confronting insecurity and economic tragedy that are fast sinking the country into an undeserved dungeon.
” If a fraction of the energy being put into hounding rights agitators such as Nnmadi Kanu, Omoyele Sowore, Sunday Adeyemo Igboho etc had been channeled into fighting insecurity and corruption, Nigeria would not be in the socio-economic and political doldrums it is in today.”
The organisation frowned at what it called alleged attempts by the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mallam Abubakar Malami (SAN), to label the Yoruba nation agitator , Chief Sunday Adeyemo (Igboho) , a terrorist.
Afenifere in the statement described the said alleged attempt “as the height of an attempt to nail Adeyemo at all cost without justification.”
Afenifere condemned the alleged attitude of Mallam Malami on matters of rights of Nigerians and the need to use the law to edify the society, saying, ” one of the individuals who will feature prominently whenever the regime of President Muhammadu Buhari is being appraised is Mallam Abubakar Malami, (SAN)”.
Faulting the minister, Afenifere kicked against the linkage of Igboho and Abbal Bako & Sons through the minister’s revelation that there were financial transaction between him and a business firm, Adesun International Concept.
” According to Malami, “Abdullahi Umar Usman is by way of financial transaction connected to SURAJO ABUBAKAR MUHAMMAD Usman who was sentenced to a life imprisonment in UAE on charges of financing terrorism [Boko Haram])” and that the financial deal were “transaction outflows” between 2013 and 2021. Meaning that it was the company linked to Igboho that paid Abbal Bako and not the other way round.
Meanwhile, Igboho’s lawyer, Yomi Alliyu, has stated that the said financial transactions were for the purchase of US dollars from Abbal which deals in currency exchange and is registered in the country for the purpose, and that ” the simple understanding of ‘sponsorship’ is that the sponsor would pay the one being sponsored.
Afenifere stated, “Not in this case. It was the supposed sponsored who paid the supposed sponsor. And this happened long before Igboho began his activities first as a human rights campaigner and later as a Yoruba nation agitator. To worsen matters for Malami, he could not mention any specific terrorism act carried out by Igboho, especially with regard to the financial transactions he was so excited to roll out.”
