Dare: No basis to compare Nnamdi Kanu with Sunday Igboho
The Special Adviser to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Public Communication and Orientation, Chief Sunday Dare, has rejected claims in some quarters equating the leader of the Indigenous People of
The Special Adviser to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Public Communication and Orientation, Chief Sunday Dare, has rejected claims in some quarters equating the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, with Yoruba nation activist, Sunday Adeyemo, popularly known as Sunday Igboho.
Dare maintained that the circumstances, methods, and consequences of their actions are fundamentally different.
Kanu, who was recently convicted on terrorism charges by a Federal High Court in Abuja, was accused of engaging in insurrection and armed confrontation with the Nigerian state, actions the government said led to widespread violence, loss of lives, and economic disruption in parts of the South-East.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, Dare said Kanu’s IPOB movement was associated with the enforcement of sit-at-home orders, attacks on security personnel, destruction of public infrastructure, and the formation of armed groups.
He noted that such activities resulted in numerous fatalities and paralysed economic activities in several states in the region.
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By contrast, he said Igboho’s activism focused on defending communities in the South-West against criminal activities allegedly linked to rogue herders and advocating self-determination for the Yoruba people through agitation that did not involve armed confrontation with the state.
“Igboho’s actions were largely defensive and localised. He did not establish a militia to confront the Nigerian military, nor did he order attacks on security agencies or impose measures that crippled economic life in his region,” the statement said.
Dare stressed that public discourse should reflect the distinctions in context, approach, and impact, arguing that drawing parallels between the two figures distorts the issues at stake.
