THE Federal Government says Yoruba Nation activist, Sunday Adeyemo, aka Sunday Igboho, is trying to acquire a new passport to flee the country.
It added that the government had placed Igboho on the stop-list in order to facilitate his arrest and directed the security agencies to apprehend him anywhere he is found.
The Federal Government’s directive against Igboho was contained in a letter by the Nigeria Immigration Service dated July 9, 2021, addressed to the Director General, Department of State Services, the Inspector General of Police and the DG, National Intelligence Agency
The NIS letter issued to facilitate Igboho’s arrest was signed on behalf of the Comptroller General of Immigration by Assistant Comptroller General of Immigration, Investigation and Compliance, A.B. Baba.
The letter titled ‘Stop-listing of person: Adeyemo Sunday Adeniyi (aka Sunday Igboho), male, Nigerian, passport number A11613637, date of birth 10/10/1972’ was copied to all zonal controllers and control posts nationwide.
It read, “I am directed to request that you kindly place the above-named person on stop-list. Credible intelligence revealed that Adeyemo is making efforts to obtain a police extract and/or court affidavit to enable him acquire a new Nigerian passport, apparently to facilitate his escape out of the country.
“In addition, he should be arrested wherever and whenever sighted and referred to the Director-General, Department of State Services vide letter no: S.605/A/246 dated 05 July 2021.”
According to the PUNCH, the NIS spokesman, Amos Okpu, however, said he was not aware of the letter..
He said, “I’m not aware of the letter. Has Ighoho been declared wanted? Well, I don’t have any information on him.”
The newspaper said DSS spokesman, Peter Afunanya, is yet to respond to inquiries on the issue as at press time.
Following the raid on Igboho’s Sooka residence on July 1, Afunaya told journalists in Abuja that the raid was carried out based on an intelligence report that Igboho had stockpiled arms in his residence.
He explained that Igboho and his group, in the guise of the campaign for self-determination, had become well-armed and determined to undermine public order.
The agency presented seven AK-47 rifles allegedly recovered during the raid on Igboho’s house, as well as three pump-action guns, 30 fully charged AK-47 magazines, 5,000 rounds of 7.62mm ammunition, five cutlasses, one jack-knife, one pen knife, two pistol holsters, a pair of binoculars, a wallet containing $5, local and international driving licences in his name, ATM cards, a German residence permit No. YO2N6K1NY bearing his name, two whistles, 50 cartridges and 18 walkie-talkies.
Others were three charm jackets/traditional body armour, two laptops, one Toshiba and one Compaq laptop, Igboho’s passport and those of his aides.
Afunaya claimed that five of the AK-47 rifles recovered from Igboho’s residence were snatched from the Nigeria Customs and Immigration personnel at Idi-Iroko, Ogun State.
