Afenifere spokesman Yinka Odumakin said the government machinery would not have been after Igboho were he a bandit.
Yoruba socio-political group, Afenifere, on Friday, condemned the attempt by operatives of the Nigeria Police Force and the men of the Department of State Services to arrest Yoruba rights activist Sunday Adeyemo, better known as Sunday Igboho.
In an interview with The PUNCH, Afenifere spokesman Yinka Odumakin said the government machinery would not have been after Igboho were he a bandit.
SaharaReporters had earlier reported that pandemonium broke out on Friday along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway when Igboho and his supporters were on their way to meet with 93-year-old Afenifere chieftain, Ayo Adebanjo.
In a viral video, a shirtless Igboho was seen with his men daring the security operatives and throwing expletives.
Speaking with The PUNCH after the incident, Odumakin said, “There is no sense in that (the attempted arrest). He (Igboho) is a free citizen of Nigeria. If they need him for any questioning, they should invite him, not to go and waylay him on the way like an armed robber.
“We condemn their attempt. There is no need for it. He has not been invited, let alone not honouring the invitation. Chasing him on the road is condemnable.”
The Afenifere spokesman lamented that the regime of President Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), favoured bandits who have been left roaming the country despite their many atrocities.
When asked whether the group was concerned that security agencies were after Igboho and not bandits, the Afenifere spokesman said, “Sunday Igboho is not a bandit. Bandits are special under this administration. That is the difference between a bandit and a non-bandit in Nigeria today,” Odumakin stressed.
Igboho rose to prominence last month when he issued an eviction notice to herdsmen accused of sundry crimes in the Ibarapa area of Oyo State and enforced the same.
Presidential spokesman, Garba Shehu had said the Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, ordered the arrest of the rights activist, but many Nigerians had condemned such move, insisting that the security agencies should instead summon famous Islamic scholar, Sheikh Ahmad Gumi, who has been seen associating with bandits in the forests of Zamfara and Niger States of late.