The pan-Yoruba socio-political group Afenifere has defended activist Sunday Adeyemo, widely known as Sunday Igboho, following his recent ultimatum to kidnappers in Oyo State. In a statement issued by National Publicity Secretary Jare Ajayi, the group said Igboho's actions were directed at criminals, not any ethnic group, and described his stance as a legitimate demand for security. This followed Igboho's visit last weekend to his hometown in the Igboho-Igbeti-Kisi area, where he demanded the release of a pregnant woman and two other kidnap victims, warning kidnappers of consequences if they failed to comply. He also warned Fulani individuals involved in criminal activities to stop immediately, while assuring law-abiding non-indigenes they had nothing to fear.
Afenifere rejected calls by northern groups—including the Arewa Consultative Forum, Northern Elders Forum, Coalition of Northern Groups, and Concerned Fulani People of Nigeria—for President Bola Tinubu and Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde to sanction Igboho. The group insisted he had not used violence or broken any law, and characterised attempts to punish him as unfair and politically motivated. It noted that Yorubaland has long been peaceful and welcoming but said tensions have risen due to alleged criminal activities by individuals posing as herders, including farmland destruction, kidnapping, and community attacks. Afenifere also pointed to illegal mining as a possible contributor to insecurity, claiming such operations may fund crime after displacing local communities.
The group cited reports linking some South-West criminal networks to remnants of terrorists displaced from Sambisa Forest by military operations. It urged northern leaders to address root causes of crime such as poverty, unemployment, and lack of education rather than target those resisting insecurity. Afenifere welcomed President Tinubu's submission of the State Police Bill to the National Assembly and called on lawmakers and governors to fast-track its passage. It advised states to begin preparing infrastructure, recruitment, training, and welfare frameworks for effective state police operations.
Afenifere defends Igboho's public ultimatum while insisting he broke no law, yet supports state policing that would legally empower others to issue similar warnings. The group claims his targets are criminals, not Fulani people, but his distinction collapses when ethnicity is used to identify suspects. If local communities are now expected to lead security interventions, it shifts the burden from state failure to citizen confrontation. This normalises vigilante rhetoric even as it is framed as self-defence.
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