Court Orders Benin Republic To Pay Igboho 20m CFA

Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Court of Justice has ordered the government of the Republic of Benin to pay Sunday Adeyemo, popularly known as Sunday Igboho, 20 million CFA for “unlawful detention”.

Gatekeepers News reports that the court ordered that the money should be paid within three months.

On February 10, Igboho filed an application before the court challenging his arrest and detention in the French-speaking country.

A three-member panel of the ECOWAS court delivered the judgement in the suit marked ECW/CCJ/APP/15/22.

The court further directed the country to comply with its order and report back to the court with evidence of payment.

In July 2021, the Yoruba Nation agitator was arrested alongside his wife, Ropo, in Cotonou, Benin Republic, and detained at the request of the Nigerian government.

He had fled Nigeria after the Department of State Services (DSS) raided his residence in Ibadan, Oyo state on July 1.

Igboho had planned a ‘Yoruba nation rally’ in Lagos two days before the raid.

The raid led to the death of two people while 12 of his aides were arrested.

The DSS had alleged that Igboho was stockpiling weapons and subsequently declared him wanted.

Having fled to Benin, attempts by the Nigerian government to repatriate him, after his arrest, were unsuccessful.

His wife was later released by the Beninese authorities, while Igboho was arraigned at the Court D’Apeal in Cotonou and was detained in a prison facility in the country.

The charges against him bordered on arms smuggling, inciting violence and calling for a secession of the Yoruba from the Nigerian state.

Upon the denial of all allegations levelled against him, fresh allegations bordering on illegal entry and criminal association were levelled against him at the Benin Republic court.

In March 2022, he was released to his doctors under the agreement that he should not leave the medical centre or Cotonou for any reason.

In October, Igboho’s lawyer, Yomi Aliu, confirmed that his client had been released.

Aliu said, “Yes, he has been released. He was released yesterday. He is now in Germany.”

Asked to speak on the state of his release, he said “I can’t speak about it.”