Yoruba Nation agitator Sunday Adeyemo alias Sunday Igboho has described as unnecessary the invitation of the British High Commissioner to Nigeria Richard Montgomery by the Federal Government over his recent petition to the UK government.
Last Saturday, Sunday Igboho submitted a 25-page petition for the recognition of an independent Yoruba Nation to the office of UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer at 10 Downing Street, London.
Mr Montgomery was on Tuesday quoted by the Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs as saying the UK government does not concern itself with the sovereignty of nations.
The Yoruba Nation agitator, in a statement on Wednesday, asked the Nigerian government not to intimidate the British envoy.
His statement read, “The British government colonised Nigeria, and we are well within our rights to submit a petition to them regarding our demand for a sovereign Yoruba nation. Nigeria gained independence on October 1, 1960, from the British government, but the amalgamation of the Northern and Southern protectorates in 1914 was a decision made by the British.”
Sunday Igboho argued that Yoruba people have a constitutional right to demand secession 100 years after the amalgamation, calling the union 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 whenever the issue of the Yoruba nation is brought up at an international level,” the statement continued.
He added that the standard response time for such official letters is around two weeks, suggesting that Mr Starmer might not have even read the petition yet.
However, Sunday Igboho reassured the Yoruba people that the intimidation tactics of the Nigerian government would not deter the movement.
The statement added, “We remain committed to peaceful, non-violent, and legitimate methods of ensuring the birth of a Yoruba nation. Our people should stay calm and resolute, confident in our collective struggle for emancipation so that we can harness our great potential in a vibrant Yoruba nation once it is created out of the current Nigerian contraption.”
He said the Yoruba Nation agitators would continue to seek international backing for their vision.
