Sunday Igboho lawyer tok why Yoruba activist still dey Benin custody

Ibrahim Bamidele Salami

BBC
Ibrahim Bamidele Salami na one of di five Lawyers wey dey defend Sunday Igboho

One of di five Lawyers wey dey defend Sunday Igboho, don tell BBC wetin be di case wey di Yoruba activist get to answer.

Ibrahim Bamidele Salami wey be lawyer wey base for Cotonou deny reports say authorities ‘torture’ Sunday Igboho wey im real name na Sunday Adeyemo.

Igboho and e wife, Ropo, bin dey travel go Germany before airport security arrest dem. Dem later release di wife.

Di Yoruba activist appear before di Cour D’Appal De Cotonou on Friday for one of three stages of hearing wey oga Salami tok say im go need go through.

Im say Nigeria goment dey accuse Igboho of dealing in weapons and get plan to incite violence for di kontri. But Igboho don deny dis accuse

“E get so many lies wey pipo dey circulate about Sunday Igboho arrest,” Salami to BBC Yoruba.

“Wen we see meet Sunday Igboho for police station, dem no beat am, or torture am or put am in chains for leg

“Wetin dem do wey no follow law na say dem put am for handcuff wey be say im no dey fit do anything by himself except anoda pesin help am and dis one no follow human rights law for our kontri.

“We don tok to police and prosecutors about am.”

Wetin be Sunday Igboho offence?

Nigeria secret police – Department of State Services – bin raid Igboho house for Ibadan earlier dis month.

Dem claim say dem recover items like weapons, passports and foreign currency for im house.

DSS also kill some pesins for im home plus arrest some of e aides. High court for Abuja don since order dem to present di aides for bail hearing.

Lawyer Salami say wetin Nigeria goment dey accuse am for be say: “First dem say Sunday dey traffic arms to Nigeria.

“Dem say e dey try cause katakata for di kontri, dey incite pipo to scatter di kontri. Third allegation be say, Igboho dey try break di kontri.

“But we dey try fight am say dis no dey true. Im no carry arms dey fight pipo wey dey try enslave Yoruba pipo, so evidence no dey for dis accusations.

“Im dey organise peaceful protest. Wetin dey important for us be say we no go allow dem extradite Sunday Igboho.”

How dem arrest Sunday Igboho for Benin

“Wen Sunday Igboho comot for Nigeria, he follow back door enta Benin wit im wife,” na so Salami tell BBC Yoruba.

“Dem comot from Benin later go Germany because na there di wife bin dey live wit dia seven children.

“Na wen im and di wife dey try comot Benin travel go Germany dem gbab dem for airport.

“Na dia airport security stop am say Nigeria goment bin write letter give Benin goment say make dem arrest am for di kontri, dat na why dem arrest am for di airport.

“Im no break any law for Benin and dem no see any Benin passport for im hand wen dem arrest am

“Na Nigerian passport im carry, for di passport, im get Germany residence card. E no need any visa to travel to Germany.”

Lawyer Salami also tok say wen dem arrest am, “we bin tink say Nigeria goment bin ask make dem extradite am, send am back to di kontri

“But wen we investigate di case for court, we see say Nigeria goment no ask make dem extradite Sunday to Nigeria.

“Wetin dey inside di case file be say, Nigeria goment bin tok say dem need arrest Sunday Igboho sake of say im break law for Nigeria and if Benin goment see am, make dem hold am down.

“Wetin we no like be say im no do anything for Benin goment. So if dem arrest am, na sake of Nigeria goment.

“Before dem go release am, we go need proof say e break Nigerian law and we neva see say im do dat one.

“Wetin we no want be say make Benin hand am ova to Nigerian goment.

Wetin go happun after dem release Sunday Igboho wife?

Di lawyer say na both Sunday and im wife still dey face accuse for court.

“For our kontri, wen police release pesin, dem go still meet wit prosecutor.

“We go also meet wit Lawyer wey go do findings for di case and later meet wit magistrate wey go determine whether dem go put am for prison or not.

“We bin fight say make dem comot di wife for di case because she no take part for Igboho activitism.

“If she break any law, e no go pass say she be wife to Igboho and dat wan no reach make dem arrest pesin. Who break law na im go answer di case alone

“Dat na why we arrange for di release of di wife.

“Wen dem release her, dem give her back her passport. For her no case dey against her again.

E dey possible to extradite Sunday Igboho from Benin go Nigeria?

“If pesin break law for one kontri, dem fit send am from one kontri to anoda one if e get law wey dey support dat kain thing between di two kontri,” na so Lawyer Salami ansa BBC Yoruba question

“No extradition accord dey between Benin and Nigeria,” he tok.

“We no get am for Benin law say dem fit extradite anybody wey commit crime to Nigeria, except dem take am through political means but e no get any extradition arrangement between Nigeria and Benin Republic

“But if dem use political arrangement, no legislation go fit stop am”.