Human rights lawyer Pelumi Olajengbesi has said that Ogun State Governor, Dapo Abiodun, agreed to vouch for activist Sunday Igboho’s conduct to enable him to return home for his mother’s burial.

Olajengbesi disclosed this in a Facebook post on Sunday after visiting Igboho, whom he described as his elder brother and former client. The two discussed politics, leadership and Igboho’s experiences over the years.

According to the lawyer, Igboho called him in 2023 after his mother’s death, insisting that he had to return home to pay his last respects. Olajengbesi said he subsequently appealed to Abiodun for assistance.

He said the governor asked whether the then National Security Adviser had been approached.

The governor also expressed the view that President Bola Tinubu would support anyone whose activities stay within the law. Olajengbesi then connected Igboho with Abiodun and three other governors.

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Abiodun, he said, agreed to guarantee Igboho’s conduct during a seven-day grace period granted for the burial. Igboho returned, performed the rites and left the country immediately afterwards.

Olajengbesi added that the matter was later settled through engagements involving several prominent Nigerians, within the law. Igboho left Nigeria for the Benin Republic in 2021. In February 2024, Olajengbesi publicly thanked Abiodun for his role in Igboho’s peaceful return.

He wrote, “I stopped by to say hello to my elder brother and leader, Chief Sunday Adeyemo, popularly known as Sunday Igboho, my client, a prominent voice in the defence of Yoruba interests, and one of the most courageous individuals I have ever encountered. We spent quality time discussing Nigeria, politics, leadership, and his experiences through life. During our conversation, Chief Igboho recalled with appreciation how I stood by him during his travails.

“As a lawyer, representing Chief Igboho is one experience you will find inspiring, even when you are not paid a kobo! He would call me from detention and begin to hail me. My lawyer! You need to deal with them! You are a great lawyer. I have told everyone you are the best. I heard you finished them in court yesterday. Thank you, my lawyer! O ṣe! Ìwọ nìkan ló gbójú gbóyà! Ha! He would praise you to high heavens until you found it difficult to tell him about your own challenges, let alone ask for legal fees!

“However, sometimes in 2023, Chief called me, and his voice was broken. I had never heard him like that. He had lost his beloved mother, and I could feel the depth of his grief. “He told me that, whatever the circumstances, he must return home to pay his last respects to his mother. Her burial could not take place in his absence. At that moment, I was no longer listening merely as his lawyer. I was listening to a grieving man who wanted to perform his final duty to the woman who gave him life.

“I immediately called His Excellency, Prince Dapo Abiodun, the Executive Governor of Ogun State, and appealed for his intervention. He asked whether I had raised the matter with the National Security Adviser. I told him I had not. He expressed the view that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu would encourage anyone whose activities and ideology remained within the ambit of the law.”

The statement added, “That evening, I connected Chief Igboho with Governor Dapo Abiodun for the first time and subsequently with three other governors, who considered the appeal. “While other engagements surrounding the matter must remain privileged, I vividly remember Governor Dapo Abiodun agreeing to stand as a guarantor for Chief Igboho’s conduct during the seven-day grace period granted for his mother’s burial.

“Chief Igboho returned home, performed his final duty to his mother, and departed Nigeria immediately afterwards. His matter was subsequently resolved as we engaged with the interventions of several other prominent Nigerians, within the ambit of the law.

“Like every other human being, Oloye Sunday Igboho may not be perfect. Nevertheless, his place in contemporary Yoruba history and the conversations surrounding the identity, security, and aspirations of the Yoruba people cannot be ignored. It was a pleasure reconnecting with you, my dear Egbon. Thank you for the warm reception and the meaningful conversations.” (PUNCH)