IBADAN MEETING: Sunday Igboho begs Muslims, warns against attacks on others’ religions hiding under Iru Ekun

By KEMI KASUMU

“I have nothing to do with Tani Olohun. Iru Ekun is not for one particular religion. I have warned the members not to tamper with Hausa, Fulani, Igbo or others doing their legitimate business in town. We are only for security of our land,” Igboho said.

Founder of Iru Ekun, Mr Sunday Adeyemo, popularly known as Sunday Igboho, has appealed to Nigerians of Yoruba extraction to desist from using religious bigotry or tribal sentiments as a cover up to attack other people’s religions.

Igboho made the appeal on Sunday, September 27, 2026, during a meeting with aggrieved Islamic scholars in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.

The meeting, hosted by the Asiwaju Adinni of Yoruba Land, Alhaji Mutiu Oladejo Onimalu, was attended by the Grand Chief Imam of Sepeteri Land, Oke-Ogun, Oyo State, Imam (Engr.) AbdulHakeem Raji; Lecturer with the Academy of Islamic Propagation (ACADIP), Mallam Yusuf Adepoju, from Ilobu, Osun State; and Sunday Igboho, among others.

The DEFENDER gathered that the meeting, which commenced in the morning, lasted until the evening, with the Islamic leaders expressing their concerns over Igboho’s obstruction of the police’s enforcement duty to arrest AbdulAzeez Adegbola, also known as Tani Olohun, following a court order.

Tani Olohun has been accused by some Muslim groups of making provocative comments against Islam and Muslims capable of causing breakdown of law and order and breaching the peace, particularly on social media.

The controversy intensified following reports of protests after the reported abduction of schoolchildren in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State. Some protesters were said to have used slogans such as “Say No To Islam” and “Say No To Killer Religion,” remarks that drew condemnation from Muslim groups and personalities.

At the Ibadan meeting, Igboho disowned Tani Olohun, saying he had advised him to go and face his case with the police.

He explained that his intervention was motivated by Tani Olohun’s being a fellow Yoruba man and not by support for any action against Islam or Muslims.

Igboho also dissociated Iru Ekun, his private security initiative, from religious and tribal attacks, warning members against using the organisation to target people on the basis of their faith or ethnicity.

According to him, Iru Ekun was established for the security of all Yoruba sons and daughters irrespective of their religious affiliations.

“All that have been offended over the issue of Sunday Igboho intervening in Tani Olohun, I use God to beg you. I didn’t intervene in his case.to attack Islam.  I only intervened because he is a Yoruba man.

“You would see that I have said many things. Iru Ekun that I established was not to attack any religion. I created it for all Yoruba sons and daughters. So, anyone who, as member of one religion, wants to hide behind Iru Ekun to cause trouble is joking with prison and only his father can go there and help him out. It is not any religion bias or tribalism.”

Igboho said his position had always been that Nigerians living and conducting legitimate businesses in any part of the country especially in Yoruba Land should be protected, irrespective of their ethnic or religious background.

“I used to say it all the time that, be you Fulani, Hausa, Igbo and Yoruba, we are all citizens of Nigeria,” he said.

He specifically warned members of Iru Ekun against harassing Hausa, Fulani and Igbo residents engaged in legitimate businesses in Yoruba communities.

“A Fulani that sits doing his legitimate business in Yoruba Land, anybody that touches him is going to jail because he is looking for trouble,” he said.

Igboho, however, distinguished between legitimate residents and bandits operating in the forests, saying Iru Ekun’s objective was to support security efforts against criminal elements irrespective of their ethnic identity.

“But bandits in the bush, who are disturbing farmers from going to farm, be it Yoruba that is bandit, be it Fulani, Hausa or Igbo, whoever you are in the bush doing anything, come outside to town to identify yourself with us, otherwise, if we meet you, we will fight you. All bandits are criminals. It’s only bandits we said we don’t want in our land” he said.

He also cited the participation of some Fulani residents in security activities in Oyo State, saying members of Miyetti Allah had worked with them in security operations.

“If Fulani co-operate with us, no problem. There are Miyetti Allah here in Oyo State who are Fulani and are doing security. Jiji is their leader. We were all in Igboho. We were doing the bush combing all over the place when people were abducted in Igboho,” he said.

On religious relations, Igboho said he had no reason to attack Muslims or Christians, stressing that adherents of different faiths and traditional religion were involved in Iru Ekun.

“Then what is my own to be attacking Muslims, Christians? I do not have a problem with anybody. Adherents of Isese, Christians, Muslims, we are all doing Iru Ekun together,” he said.

He warned that anyone who used Iru Ekun as a platform to attack another religion would face the consequences of his actions.

He added that, “If any religious person exploits his being a member of Iru Ekun and says he wants to be criticising or attacking others’ religion, apart from going to prison, you are wasting your own life because I know that the Lord who created me exists and won’t let you destroy my name.”

Igboho also said he had no covenant with anyone, adding that he relied on God.

Concluding his appeal, he urged religious leaders and their followers to respect one another and refrain from insults and attacks on other faiths.

“And I want to appeal to all religious people that no member of one religion should attack or insult religion of other people. And whoever says he wants to hide behind Iru Ekun to attack religion of other people will meet himself in jail.

“I have nothing to do with Tani Olohun. Iru Ekun is not for one particular religion. I have warned the members not to tamper with Hausa, Fulani, Igbo or others doing their legitimate business in town. We are only for security of our land,” Igboho said.

CLICK HERE TO WATCH AND LISTEN TO SUNDAY IGBOHO SPEAK IN YORUBA