Yoruba Nation advocate, Sunday Adeyemo, widely known as Sunday Igboho, has formally submitted a petition to the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Keir Starmer, urging the British government to consider the ongoing agitation for Yoruba self-determination in Nigeria.
The petition, submitted on behalf of the movement’s leader, Professor Adebanji Akintoye, seeks the UK’s intervention in their quest to establish an independent Yoruba nation. Although the content of the petition remains confidential, sources indicate that it centers around the secessionist agenda.
Igboho was accompanied by notable figures in the Yoruba Nation movement, including Diaspora Youth Leader Prophet Ologunoluwa, Vice President of Ifeladun Apapo, Fatai Ogunribido, General Secretary of Yoruba World Media, Alhaja Adeyeye, and Member of Yoruba Nation Movement, Paul Odebiyi.
“The movement is calling for immediate intervention from the UK government on the Yoruba agitation,” a source privy to the matter disclosed.
This development comes after Igboho’s resistance to pressure from Nigerian authorities to abandon the Yoruba Nation struggle. According to reports, during his imprisonment in the Benin Republic, Nigerian officials, led by former Chief of Army Staff Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai (retd.), allegedly offered Igboho billions of naira in exchange for renouncing the secessionist cause.
Professor Akintoye, reflecting on the incident, remarked, “They brought money to this young man; how many of our young men would have the strength of character to refuse such an offer?” He added that Igboho “flatly refused” to sign the document presented by Buratai.
The Yoruba Nation movement has consistently pushed for the creation of a sovereign state for the Yoruba people, citing marginalization and the failure of the Nigerian state to address ethnic tensions and development disparities. Despite numerous legal and political challenges, Igboho and his supporters remain resolute in their demand for self-determination.
