Sunday Adeyemo, better known as Sunday Igboho, has submitted a petition to the United Kingdom’s Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, urging the British government to support the creation of a Yoruba nation. This action comes on behalf of Prof. Adebanji Akintoye, the leader of the Yoruba Nation movement, which seeks to establish a country predominantly owned and governed by indigenous Yoruba people. The petition, delivered on Monday, is part of the movement’s ongoing campaign for international recognition and support.
Igboho’s spokesman, Olayomi Koiki, shared the development on social media, announcing that the petition was submitted at exactly 14:00 hrs on Monday. “At exactly 14:00 hrs, Dr. Chief Sunday Igboho delivered a petition to the UK Prime Minister on behalf of Prof. Adebanji Akintoye, leader of the Yoruba Nation movement, and Olayomi Koiki, his spokesman @10DowningStreet,” Koiki wrote on X (formerly Twitter). The move underscores Igboho’s role in leading the agitation for a Yoruba homeland, which has garnered significant attention both in Nigeria and internationally.
The Yoruba Nation movement, which has grown in prominence in recent years, seeks independence from Nigeria and the formation of a sovereign state for the Yoruba ethnic group. Prof. Akintoye has been outspoken about the need for an international intervention in the movement’s quest. He previously accused the Nigerian government of attempting to coerce Igboho into abandoning the agitation. Akintoye claimed that during Igboho’s imprisonment in Benin Republic, former Chief of Army Staff Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai (retd.) tried to pressure Igboho into renouncing the cause.
According to Akintoye, Buratai approached Igboho in prison, offering him billions of naira in exchange for signing a document that would formally end his campaign for a Yoruba nation. Akintoye explained that the document was a renunciation of the Yoruba Nation struggle, asking Igboho to publicly abandon his cause. However, Igboho refused to sign the paper, and it was subsequently taken away by Buratai, who was acting as an intermediary.
Igboho’s petition to the UK government is a significant step in the Yoruba Nation movement’s efforts to gain global recognition for their cause.
