Femi Falana, human rights lawyer, says Benin Republic told
Tukur Buratai, Nigeria’s ambassador to the country, that the rule of law will
guide the extradition of Sunday Adeyemo, a youth leader popularly known as
Sunday Igboho.
Igboho, who is currently in detention in Benin Republic, was
arrested on July 19 in Cotonou by the country’s security forces while trying to
flee to Germany.
The charges against the Yoruba Nation activist border on
arms smuggling, inciting violence and calling for a secession of the Yoruba from
Nigeria.
Speaking on the development, Falana, on Thursday, in a
programme on Channels Television, said Buratai, the former chief of army staff,
asked that Igboho should be handed over to him.
The human rights lawyer argued that the federal government
must always follow the appropriate legal process in dealing with secessionists,
noting that he learnt that there were attempts to throw Igboho in a waiting
plane for return to Nigeria.
“In the case of Sunday Igboho, again despite my disagreement
with him, I came out to say you cannot just throw him into a waiting plane as
we were told, it was attempted,” he said.
“You have to go to court. You have to make a request under
international law, under the ECOWAS convention on extradition.
“The government of Nigeria is requested to submit an
extradition request to the government of Benin Republic and so when the
plenipotentiary, General Yusuf Buratai (retired), who at that time had not
submitted his letters of credence asked that Igboho be handed over to him.
“He was told, ‘sorry, we operate the rule of law here’. That
is why that matter is still in court.”
On secessionist agitations, Falana noted that he is opposed
to the campaign of the balkanisation of Nigeria but the law guarantees the
rights of self-determination.
The human rights lawyer asked the federal government to
respect human rights and always follow the legal approach in dealing with those
calling for secession so that the country will be respected among civilised
nations.
“Unless we respect
the rights of our people and the human rights of people in our country, we are
going to be embarrassed continuously,” he added.
“And that is what has just happened in the United States,
where a senator has moved a motion that certain aircraft should not be sold to
Nigeria because of gross human rights violation.
“I have a fundamental disagreement, a fundamental
ideologically disagreement with those calling for the break-up of the country
along ethnic lines but the law has imposed a duty on the government.
“And the rest of us, respect the rights of such people and
in fact article 20 of the African Charter of Human and Peoples’ Rights
guarantees the rights to self-determination.”
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