Founder of the Citadel Global Community Church, Pastor Tunde Bakare, has condemned the clampdown on self-determination agitators in the country.
Bakare reportedly said this during a sermon at his church in Lagos.
The cleric said though he does not support any act of violence against people, Nigeria must realise that the agitations started as a result of lack of justice and equity.
He said Sunday Adeyemo, a Yoruba nation agitator better known as Sunday Igboho, and Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), are not the problem of Nigeria,
“I don’t support any act of violence, taking up arms against the country and killing people. Those are in the realm of criminality and anybody doing that must be brought to book,” Bakare said.
“However, we must realise that what has given rise to the agitation is lack of justice and equity. When there is justice, when there is equity, agitation will die down. How can you be expending so much energy on Igboho and Kanu? Igboho and Kanu are not Nigeria’s problems. Nigeria must restructure and no one can stop that,” he declared.
Kanu was arrested on June 25 and extradited to Nigeria to face trial for treasonable felony.
Following his arrest, he was remanded in the custody of the Department of State Services (DSS). His trial however stalled Monday at the Federal High Court in Abuja.
Igboho, on his part, also appeared before a court in Cotonou on Monday.
The Yoruba nation agitator was arrested with his wife at the Cardinal Bernardin International Airport, Cotonou, Benin Republic, on Monday. He was arraigned before a judge at Cour De’appal De Cotonou last Thursday.
The Federal government is seeking the extradition of the Yoruba nation agitator after he escaped from his Ibadan base when operatives of the DSS raided his house on July 1.