The pan-Yoruba socio-political organisation, Afenifere, has strongly defended Yoruba Nation agitator Sunday Adeyemo, popularly known as Sunday Igboho, over his recent anti-banditry actions in Oyo State.

The group dismissed calls from northern coalitions demanding Igboho`s arrest, labeling their reactions as blackmail.

The controversy follows a two-hour ultimatum issued by Igboho to kidnappers after a woman and her children were abducted at Igbope in the Oorelope Local Government Area of Oyo State.

Northern groups, including the Arewa Consultative Forum and the Concerned Fulani People of Nigeria, subsequently urged President Bola Tinubu and Governor Seyi Makinde to rein in the activist over his remarks.

However, in a statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Jare Ajayi, Afenifere maintained that Igboho acted lawfully and without violence.

THENEWSCREDIT reports that Afenifere emphasized,Igboho’s advocacy targets criminal elements—such as kidnappers and terrorists—rather than any specific ethnic group.

The group noted that while Yorubaland remains peaceful and welcoming to law-abiding citizens of northern extraction, security challenges escalated due to the activities of unscrupulous herders and illegal miners.

Ajayi cited military reports indicating that some criminals operating in the South-West are remnants of terrorists displaced from Sambisa Forest. He urged northern leaders to address root causes of insecurity, such as youth unemployment and lack of education, which serve as recruitment grounds for terror networks.

Meanwhile, Afenifere commended President Tinubu and the National Assembly for their swift progress on the executive bill to establish state police.

The organization urged state Houses of Assembly to pass the bill without delay once received. It also advised state governors to properly recruit, train, equip, and motivate local police personnel with life insurance policies to effectively secure their territories.