Presidency Dismisses Comparisons Between Kanu And Igboho

According to Ireporter Online, the Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Public Communication and Orientation, Sunday Dare, has rejected claims equating the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, with Yoruba activist Chief Sunday Adeyemo, popularly known as Sunday Igboho.

In a statement issued on Tuesday, Dare emphasized that there is “no basis for comparison” between the two figures, highlighting that their methods, objectives, and consequences are fundamentally different.

Dare noted that Kanu, who was recently convicted on terrorism charges by a Federal High Court in Abuja and is serving a life sentence, led IPOB in armed confrontation against the Nigerian state, resulting in significant loss of lives and economic disruption in the South-East. He described activities under Kanu’s leadership as including violent enforcement of sit-at-home orders, attacks on security forces, destruction of public infrastructure, and the formation of armed groups such as the Eastern Security Network (ESN). Reports suggest that these actions contributed to over 700 fatalities linked to enforcement clashes and defiance killings.

In contrast, Dare explained that Igboho’s activism has been largely defensive and community-focused, aiming to protect Yoruba communities from alleged killings, kidnappings, and farm destructions by suspected herders. He noted that Igboho’s pursuit of self-determination advocacy did not involve forming an armed militia or ordering attacks on security forces. His activities centered on peaceful agitation for Yoruba self-determination without imposing paralysing measures like sit-at-home orders that negatively affected civilians or the regional economy.

Dare concluded that public discourse should avoid equating the two leaders, stating, “The line is clear: one crossed into armed rebellion and violent enforcement that affected his own ethnic group, while the other remained largely defensive and localized against perceived external threats, without the same level of state-targeted insurgency.”