The Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN) has demanded the immediate arrest of Sunday Igboho, the leader of the Yoruba Nation separatist movement. This call follows a recent viral video in which Igboho was seen making inciting statements, demanding the expulsion of all Fulani cattle breeders from Yoruba land.
Last week, Igboho urged his supporters not to wait for the government’s intervention before taking steps to confront the Fulani herders, whom he accused of denying local farmers access to their farmlands in the South-West region. “This is our domain. We should save ourselves from Fulani. We should put security in all Yoruba land. We did not need to wait for anybody, including the government. If we really mean business, we should not wait for the government, or else Fulani will carry all our lands. We should be united. Which farms do we have again in Yoruba land? Can we go to the farm now?”, the former agitator said.
In response to these statements, MACBAN’s national president, Baba Othman Ngelzarma, called for Mr. Igboho’s arrest and prosecution for making “treasonable statements.” He said that Mr. Igboho’s proclamation sent shockwaves through the community, prompting swift reactions from various quarters.
Ngelzarma added that Mr. Igboho’s call for the actualization of the Oduduwa nation amounted to a treasonable felony. “We call on the commander-in-chief of the armed forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, President Bola Tinubu, GCFR, and relevant security agencies to arrest and prosecute Sunday Igboho for making this unlawful statement that amounts to treason because he is asking for the actualization of the Oduduwa nation. His statements are unlawful. If Nnamdi Kanu will be held behind bars for a similar offence, we see no reason why Sunday Igboho will be allowed to go scot-free without being arrested and prosecuted,” he said.
MACBAN emphasized the need for law and order, denouncing any form of vigilantism or ethnic profiling. The association stressed that individuals should be held accountable for their actions, regardless of their ethnic or religious background.
