Yoruba Nation: Igboho Urges FG Not to Intimidate British Envoy Over Petition

Yoruba Nation: Igboho Urges FG Not to Intimidate British Envoy Over Petition

Yoruba nation advocate Sunday Adeyemo, widely known as Sunday Igboho, has warned the Federal Government against pressuring the British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Richard Montgomery, regarding his recent petition for the recognition of a sovereign Yoruba nation.

On Saturday, Igboho submitted a 25-page petition to UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer at 10 Downing Street, seeking international support for the Yoruba cause. In a statement released to The PUNCH on Wednesday, he criticized the government’s reported summoning of Montgomery as unnecessary and an attempt to intimidate the diplomat.

Igboho stated, “The British government colonized Nigeria, and we are fully entitled to submit a petition to them regarding our demand for a sovereign Yoruba nation. Nigeria gained independence from Britain on October 1, 1960, but the amalgamation of the Northern and Southern protectorates in 1914 was a British decision.”

He emphasized that the Yoruba people have the constitutional right to demand secession a century after the amalgamation, referring to the union as a “marriage of inconvenience.”

“The main reason we submitted our letter to the UK government is to have them serve as a witness before the United Nations when the issue of the Yoruba nation arises internationally,” the statement added. Igboho noted that the typical response time for such official letters is about two weeks, suggesting that Prime Minister Starmer may not have had the opportunity to read the petition yet.

Despite the government’s intimidation tactics, Igboho assured the Yoruba people that they would not deter the movement. He stated, “We remain committed to peaceful, non-violent, and legitimate methods to achieve the establishment of a Yoruba nation. Our people should stay calm and resolute in our collective struggle for emancipation, so we can harness our great potential in a vibrant Yoruba nation once it emerges from the current Nigerian structure.”

He also asserted that the summoning of Montgomery would not impede the campaign and pledged to continue seeking global support for the cause. “We will keep pursuing international backing and present our agenda to the global community,” he concluded.