…challenges the group to prove that Tinubu ordered the arrest
The South West Youth Alliance (SWYA) has strongly criticised a Yoruba socio-cultural organisation, Ìgbìnmó Májékóbájé Ilé-Yorùbá, over its condemnation of the recent arrest of former presidential candidate Omoyele Sowore by security operatives.
In a statement signed by its spokesperson, Adenike Ajanlekoko, on Thursday, the group described the position of Ìgbìnmó Májékóbájé Ilé-Yorùbá as reckless, misleading, and emotionally manipulative, challenging the organisation to produce credible evidence that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu ordered Sowore’s arrest.
According to SWYA, Sowore and others were detained for violating a subsisting court ruling delivered by Justice M. G. Umar, which expressly barred them from organising or promoting the #FreeNnamdiKanu protest. The group said the arrest was a lawful response to a judicial breach and not an act of political intimidation.
“No responsible government would fold its arms while individuals repeatedly undermine the rule of law,” the statement read. “Democracy thrives on order and respect for judicial pronouncements—not on chaos disguised as activism.”
The Alliance faulted claims by Ìgbìnmó Májékóbájé Ilé-Yorùbá that Sowore’s arrest embarrassed democracy, stressing that enforcing court orders cannot be seen as an assault on free speech. It added that Yoruba people were not ashamed of lawful enforcement but of Sowore’s “continued acts of lawlessness”.
The group also condemned what it called the “unwarranted attack” on the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, by the Yoruba organisation, noting that the IGP merely carried out his constitutional duty of maintaining law and order.
“That Egbetokun is Yoruba does not mean he should shield offenders who flout the law,” SWYA stated. “The allegation that he has threatened Sowore or other critics is baseless and politically motivated.”
The South West Youth Alliance dismissed insinuations that President Tinubu is targeting journalists or opposition figures through the police, insisting that the President remains a defender of the rule of law committed to upholding constitutional governance.
“Those who abide by the law have nothing to fear under this administration,” the statement added.
SWYA concluded by urging Ìgbìnmó Májékóbájé Ilé-Yorùbá to desist from defending individuals who openly defy court orders, describing such actions as “a betrayal of Yoruba values of integrity, discipline, and respect for constituted authority.”
