Yoruba Nation activist Sunday Adeyemo, known popularly in Nigeria as Sunday Igboho, was arrested in neighboring Benin onJuly 19, according to media reports. Igboho is leader of the Yoruba Nation, which is agitating for a separate state for Yoruba people — one of Nigeria's three main ethnic groups. There are an estimated 35 million Yoruba in Nigeria, mainly concentrated in the country's southwest, plus around 2 million more in Benin and Togo. "Benin cannot oppose Nigeria because Benin depends on Nigeria heavily, economically," Ardo said, adding that the Nigerian government was using similar strong-arm tactics elsewhere on the African continent as well. Buhari's message of zero toleranceSecurity analyst Adamu believes that such clandestine arrests could backfire by causing the supporters of separatist movements to “further oppose the Nigerian state."

Source: The Hindu July 22, 2021 13:07 UTC