Yoruba Nation agitator, Chief Sunday Adeyemo, popularly known as Sunday Igboho, has reiterated that his campaign for improved security in the South-West is aimed solely at combating criminality and not directed against any ethnic group.
Igboho's clarification followed a call by the Concerned Fulani People of Nigeria (CFPN), which urged President Bola Tinubu and Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, to caution him over his activities. He dismissed the group's position as a misrepresentation of his longstanding advocacy for the protection of lives and property in the region.
In a statement issued by his spokesperson, Olayomi Koiki, Igboho described the allegations against him as unfounded and a distraction from the pressing security challenges confronting many communities in Yorubaland.
He maintained that his public interventions have consistently focused on confronting kidnappers, killers, bandits and other criminal elements responsible for violent attacks across the South-West.
“Since I began advocating improved security in the South-West and other parts of the country, I have never declared war on any ethnic group. My concern has always been criminal elements involved in kidnapping, murder, rape and other violent crimes,” he stated.
According to him, tackling insecurity requires collective action from citizens, governments and security agencies, irrespective of ethnic, religious or political affiliations.
Igboho stressed that crime should be addressed without regard to ethnicity, religion or political leanings, insisting that offenders must be identified, arrested and prosecuted in accordance with the law.
He also rejected claims that his stance on insecurity amounts to ethnic profiling, arguing that communities across the South-West have continued to suffer threats to lives and livelihoods from armed criminals operating in rural areas.
The activist commended the efforts of the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, the Director-General of the Department of State Services (DSS), and other security chiefs for intensifying operations against criminal networks in the region and across the country.
While pledging continued cooperation with security agencies to enhance safety and stability, he said the responsibility of securing communities should not rest on government alone but requires the active support of all stakeholders.
Igboho further urged those calling for his restraint to channel their energies toward supporting stronger measures against kidnapping, violent crimes and other forms of insecurity threatening communities nationwide.