A few years ago, Sunday Igboho was a mere fugitive.After his confrontations with Fulani herdsmen, Buhari’s police declared him wanted. He fled the country. In Cotonou, he walked into a trap. His fabled juju lost its signal, and he was dumped into dungeon.
Before that incarceration, Igboho had issued grave threats against Tinubu and every Yoruba politician seeking to legitimise the Nigerian state through participation in the 2023 elections. He vowed to execute such “political traitors.” At the time, many believed he possessed supernatural powers. The sobering interregnum in Cotonou probably served him well by bringing him down to earth.
That sobering interlude lasted roughly two years. Buhari departed. Tinubu arrived, replacing a lighter Hausa-Fulani hegemony with a heavier Yoruba variant. Igboho eventually completed his interrupted journey and resurfaced in Germany, where he appeared to be enjoying a quieter phase — sharing motivational speeches on TikTok. He urged his soldiers and supporters to rally behind the new government led by their kinsman. Perhaps the next best thing to a Yoruba nation was a Yoruba presidency. The Yoruba nationalist crusade had been effectively suspended. It might well be resurrected when power shifts to another ethnic group. Igboho had pivoted to policing patriotism.
