Lawyer: Yoruba nation agitator resolves to return to Nigeria

Convener of Yoruba nation, Mr. Sunday Adeyemo, popularly known as Sunday Igboho, has revealed his readiness to return back to the country.

His lawyer, Mr. Pelumi Olajengbesi, made this known while speaking with reporters recently.

Igboho fled from the country in 2021 after operatives of the Department of State Services, DSS, raided his residence in Ibadan, an operation the security agency confirmed led to the death of two persons and the arrest of about 13 others.

The DSS, through its spokesman, Dr. Peter Afunanya, said it carried out the raid after intelligence reports revealed that Igboho allegedly stockpiled weapons in his house. It, thereafter, launched a manhunt for Igboho who was subsequently arrested in neighbouring Cotonou, Benin Republic, while trying to travel to Germany.

However, addressing newsmen in Abuja on Friday, Olajengbesi, said the embattled Yoruba nation activist, who had since regained his freedom, would soon return back to the country.

“Igboho is doing very well and he will soon be in Nigeria in a very ceremonial way. The arrangements are on,” Olajengbesi told newsmen.

He, however, lamented his inability to enforce a Judgement that was delivered in favour of his client, a situation he said was made difficult by the fact that the consent of the
Attorney-General of the Federation must first be secured
before security agencies could pay judgement debts.

While calling for a review of that provision of the law, Olajengbesi, urged the Federal Government under President Bola Tinubu to have a rethink about people he described as “freedom fighters.”

The lawyer maintained that people like Igboho, the detained leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, Nnamdi Kanu, as well as the embattled convener of the RevolutionNow protest, Mr. Omoyele Sowore, deserved to be listened to by the government.

He commended President Tinubu “for his purposeful leadership drive, restructuring of the governmental policies and operational systems since assuming the office,” adding that he has “rekindled the hope of average Nigerians that government can serve the common good of the people.”

“We therefore encourage Mr. President to continue in this direction with equity and justice as his working value system.

“We equally want to commend the acting Inspector General of Police; Olukayode Egbetokun for an unusual reforms in the Nigeria Police Force and his commitment to holding errant officers accountable for abuse of official duties and violation of human rights. He is bringing a new value system to the Nigeria police system and this new drive must be sustained.

“We must also commend INEC for filing charges against its suspended Resident Electoral Commissioner, Hudu Yunusa Ari in Adamawa State. This is a step in the right direction and it is commendable.”

Highlighting what he termed as certain critical issues in the country that has become a sordid tale for the people, Olajengbesi, asked FG to immediately scrap its Service Compact With All Nigerians, SERVICOM, insisting that the agency has failed to serve its purpose.

The lawyer warned that the Federal Government should stop the tax payers money from being used to fund a moribund organization like SERVICOM which he claimed, is no longer serving any useful purpose.

“The body was supposed to be a mechanism through which Nigerians can lodge complaints against tyrannical and errant public officers whose conducts falls below the standard required of a public and civil servants. SERVICOM customarily have offices in all federal government agencies, take complaints and ensure efficiency, justice and fairness in all government agencies.

“Unfortunately, this body has now failed to uphold the purpose of its establishment. The agency no longer addresses complaints and has now become very ineffective.

“The organization leadership and modus oparandi has accordingly encouraged abuse of official duties on the one hand as well as precluding victims of these errant officers from accessing appropriate remedy within the administrative system,” he added.

Besides, he decried that extant laws in the country has continued to subject citizens to various double taxation policies.

He said: “For instance, the trite position of law is that owners of business names duly registered with Corporate Affairs Commission is not under a legal duty to pay tax over the
business name; rather such a person is expected to pay Personal Income Tax pursuant to Section 2 of CITA.

“Unfortunately, it is now a compelling practice for Business names to separately obtain Tax Identification Number (TIN) which consequently expose them to payments of tax while the proprietors of such business names equally pay Personal Income Tax resulting in double taxation.

“Additionally, the government just announced plan to impose the sum of One Thousand naira levy on Nigerian as an annual vehicle proof of ownership levy.

“This is in addition to Personal Income Tax being paid annually by vehicle owners and thousands of naira being paid annually for renewal of vehicle particulars to the government.

“It is our position that these are issues of double taxation that must be keenly considered by the government.”