…say ‘Nigeria, Benin have no such treaty’
Ibrahim Salami, one of the five lawyers representing Sunday Adeyemo aka Sunday Igboho, on Saturday, vowed that he and other lawyers will never allow the extradition of the Yoruba Nation activist to Nigeria.
On Monday, Igboho was arrested by security forces at the airport in Benin Republic alongside his wife while trying to board a flight to Germany.
The Yoruba Nation activist was immediately charged to court and has since been detained at the Brigade économique et financière.
But Igboho’s lawyer, who also doubles as a professor of Law at the country’s national university, told BBC Yoruba in a chat that it would be better to have Igboho killed in Cotonou than to release him to be slaughtered by the Nigerian authorities.
Salami, who spoke in Yoruba, said, “What is important for us, what is paramount, is to never never never allow for the extradition of Sunday Igboho to Nigeria.
“With all that happened in his house, and how the army is threatening him, allowing for his extradition will be sending him home to death.
“Rather than do that, it would be better to keep him in Benin and kill him, than to let him go to Nigeria to be slaughtered like an animal. That has been our struggle and agitation here in Benin.”
The lawyer, who said he’s a Beninioise of Yoruba origin, argued that no extradition treaty or accord existed between Nigeria and Benin Republic.
Salami said, therefore, by law, it would be difficult for Igboho to be extradited to Nigeria.
He, however, noted that if politics came into play in the matter, anything outside the law could happen.
The lawyer added, “For someone to be extradited from one country to another, there must be a law between both countries, we call it accord for extradition. That accord does not exist between both countries.
“To extradite him will be difficult, but in politics, we can’t say. But by law, there is no extradition accord between Nigeria and Benin.”
He added that Igboho case in court will continue on Monday, expressing hope that a favourable verdict will be delivered same day.
The lawyer expressed appreciation for the support being offered Igboho by Yoruba in the US, UK, Europe, Africa and the rest of the world.
