Ogun State Governor, Dapo Abiodun, agreed to stand as guarantor for Yoruba activist, Sunday Adeyemo, popularly known as Sunday Igboho, to enable him to return to Nigeria to bury his late mother, human rights lawyer Pelumi Olajengbesi has disclosed.
Olajengbesi, who represented Igboho during his legal travails, made the disclosure in a Facebook post on Sunday after visiting the activist, whom he described as his elder brother and former client.
According to the lawyer, Igboho contacted him in 2023 following the death of his mother and insisted that he must return home to perform the final rites.
Olajengbesi said he subsequently contacted Governor Abiodun to seek his intervention.
He said the governor asked whether the National Security Adviser had been approached on the matter, before expressing the view that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu would support anyone whose activities remained within the ambit of the law.
The lawyer said he subsequently connected Igboho with Abiodun and three other governors, who considered the appeal.
“Governor Dapo Abiodun agreed to stand as a guarantor for Chief Igboho’s conduct during the seven-day grace period granted for his mother’s burial,” Olajengbesi said.
He added that Igboho returned to Nigeria, performed the burial rites for his mother and immediately left the country.
Olajengbesi said the matter was later resolved through interventions by several prominent Nigerians, stressing that the engagements were conducted within the ambit of the law.
Recalling his interaction with Igboho during his recent visit, the lawyer said the activist spoke appreciatively about the support he received during his legal challenges.
Olajengbesi said Igboho’s decision to return home despite the circumstances surrounding his case was driven by his desire to pay his final respects to his mother.
“At that moment, I was no longer listening merely as his lawyer. I was listening to a grieving man who wanted to perform his final duty to the woman who gave him life,” he said.
Igboho left Nigeria for the Benin Republic in 2021 following security-related controversies surrounding his activities.
Olajengbesi, however, said his client’s role in contemporary discussions about Yoruba identity, security and aspirations remained significant.
He added that although Igboho, like every other individual, was not perfect, his contributions to debates concerning the Yoruba people could not be ignored.
The lawyer had, in February 2024, publicly acknowledged Governor Abiodun’s role in facilitating Igboho’s peaceful return to Nigeria for his mother’s burial.
