Sunday Adeyemo, aka Sunday Igboho, is the ultimate new face of rights activism. Our undisputed rave of the moment. The thorn in the stubborn flesh of killer Fulani herdsmen. Needless contesting that. The man the establishment loves to hate.
Yes, Sunday Igboho is the enfant terrible husband of their mothers (meaning, “Oko iya won,” a popular slang in Yoruba language). He is ruling the waves. In fact, he occupies every space now, home and abroad.
He went to the Fulani lion’s den and came back alive. He saw and he conquered. Nobody ever did it like he did it in the last two weeks or so.
He has in great abundance the guts and the effrontery. Those are the very hard stuff he is solidly made of. And he displays them appropriately, caring less whose ox is gored or brutally bruised.
In the past weeks, he had dared the so-called mighty, dreaded and the powerful. And almost effortlessly, he subdued them all. In all this, Sunday Igboho remains extremely humble.
That is exactly what played out that Friday, January 15, 2021. Since then, things have never been the same again. The centre can no longer hold. All thanks to the audacity of Sunday Igboho.
That day, he left his Igboho, Oyo State, base. Headed straight with his ever-ready, formidable and reliable team for Igangan, Ibarapa, also in Oyo State.
At Igangan, Sunday Igboho talked tough. He confronted Seriki Fulani, Alhaji Soliu Quadri. He spoke to his conscience that his herdsmen are destroying farms, killing, maiming, kidnapping and raping. He emotionally rolled out some victims of the alleged atrocities.
Samplers: Dr. Aborode, murdered; Alhaji Amubieya, kidnapped; Alhaji Olusegun Olosunde, kidnapped; Alhaji Subawah, murdered; Alhaji Monsuru, kidnapped; Esther Temitope, kidnapped; and Oko Oloyun, killed on Igboora-Eruwa Road.
He pointedly accused the Seriki of serving as middleman for the kidnapper-Fulani herdsmen. The Seriki did struggle to put up a tardy defence. It was expected. But Igboho would take none of that.
Then the unexpected. He showcased his audaciousness. He gave the Fulani herdsmen a seven-day quit notice or risk and reap the consequences. Seriki was shocked to the marrow. He became dumdfounded and you could see it all over him.
Igboho did not go out of his way. Neither did he act on his own. He was duly invited by the community. Prince Ademola Ayoade, a community leader in Igboora, confirmed this much.
Sunday Igboho is short in words, but long in action. He walks his talk. He is never given to frivolities and trivialities. Of course, he damns all consequences.
So, exactly seven days after, he was back in Igangan. He wasted no time in executing the quit order. And it was done effectively. He is presently writing an impactful history.
He did what many would not venture to attempt. Sunday Igboho put his life on the line. He offered to render selfless community service. And he did it excellently well.
He cannot be easily rubbished. Not even by the so-called powerful, including Femi Ojudu. For all you care, Ojudu is supposed to be Special Assistant, Political Affairs, to the Vice-President. They pretend to hold sway in Aso Rock.
That his warped and belated narrative on Sunday Igboho was obviously for the wrong reason. And it richly scored a negative point.We are glad it did.
We all knew where it was coming from. The blind could also “clearly” read between the ugly lines. We are eternally grateful to Ojudu for his unsolicited expose.
He needed not go to that deadly and harmful extent to score a cheap political point. Thank God, it was never scored.
Ojudu meant to paint Igboho black to hang him. He desperately wanted him nailed at all cost. His bravery and sudden rise are inimical to their 2023 agenda.
They reasoned Igboho’s soaring profile may change the narratives for the best. They must do everything possible to stop him fast.
But they goofed. They forgot circumstances threw up Sunday Igboho. He did not and still does not have political ambition.
They also missed one crucial message. Igboho has passed that stage. He is not Sunday Igboho of yesterday who Ojudu claimed he knew.
By every standard and in all ramifications, Igboho is now a hero. Yes! A committed freedom fighter and sincere rights activist.
Nobody dares take those from him. Ojudu won’t risk that. It will be a monumental disaster. Igboho is selfless, responsible, responsive and dawn-to-earth. He is neither a betrayer nor a traitor, but a talk-and-do.
Ojudu has graciously obliged us with his politically motivated encounter with Igboho. We must appreciate him for being “honest” with himself alone. It’s a form of bravery in its own class. A confession of his hideous past deeds.
I have come into close contact with Sunday Igboho at least two times. And they were refreshingly pleasant encounters.
Mine were in the open, in full public glare. In all our chats, Sunday Igboho was passionate about the Yoruba nation. That is his first love.
He is ready to defend Yoruba interests with his blood. The ongoing events more than demonstrate his affection and devotedness to anything and all things Yoruba.
All my meetings with Igboho were in the course of duty. The reason we freely talked, shouted, chatted and laughed our hearts out. Almost uncontrollable!
The meetings were never undercover like Ojudu’s “one-chance” encounter, neither were they sinister nor inimical to anyone’s ambition, political or otherwise.
Sunday Igboho may not be heavily lettered, but he is not a pushover. He has uncanny native intelligence. And this is paying off handsomely for him.
You may opt to deride him; label him a thug if you care. He is certainly one with a huge difference. He has his genuine reasons for all his actions and “inactions.” It is your choice to believe or disbelieve.
When he is convinced, he is determined. And he forges ahead without looking back or blinking an eye. He is daring and focused. Again, in all this, he is humble almost to a fault.
Igboho has zero tolerance for excuses and regrets. He holds on tenaciously to his belief and conviction to the very end. No blame game, no matter the unpleasant circumstances.
His patience runs fast and violently on traitors. He detests them with passion. He is a successful team player. He cannot contemplate abandoning the team. It’s an abomination, quite unthinkable. His audacity and bravery are hard to come by. They cannot be easily equaled or rivaled. Yet, he remains level-headed.
This is my honest takeaway from my encounters with Igboho. It’s poles apart from Ojudu’s.
Sunday Igboho who stood up when it mattered most.
Igboho, the down-to-earth.
Sunday Igboho, the husband of their mothers!