Benin Republic's Yoruba monarchs meet and agree to ask their president to release Sunday Igboho

YORUBA monarchs in the Republic of Benin have resolved to write to President  Patrice Talon asking him to intervene in the ongoing Sunday Adeyemo saga by asking the country's security agencies to release him immediately.

On July 1, men of the Nigerian Department of State Security (DSS) raided Mr Adeyemo's Ibadan home, killing two of his aides and arresting 13 others. Although Mr Adeyemo, popularly known as Sunday Igboho managed to escape, he home was turned inside out with the DSS seizing items including his international passport, claiming he was stockpiling weapons.

Subsequently, Mr Igboho fled to the Republic of Benin and was arrested at Cotonou airport on July 18while trying to board a plane to Germany. He has been arraigned in court where he is expected to be charged with an immigration offence and the Nigerian government has been asked to file its case against Mr Igboho.

With tension rising across Benin Republic as a result of the case, the country's Yoruba monarchs held a meeting yesterday at the Ajohoun Palace to discuss the matter. After their meeting, the traditional rulers said that they were working towards finding a solution to the matter with the authorities.

They agreed that a letter should be written to the president of the country as well as the justice minister, the minister of interior and the head of the country’s parliament. One of the monarchs, King Siyan Aladjohoun of Adjohoun stated that they also considered visiting the country’s president and other government officials over the case.

There are 34 Yoruba monarchs in Benin Republic where Yoruba people constitute about one-quarter of the country's total population. They are the third largest ethnic group in the country with a total population of about 1.7m.