Independence movements

History of Yoruba independence / Oduduwa proposals

From the April 2021 Ibadan declaration to the movement's continued 2025 advocacy.

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2021: declaration, raid and arrest

In April 2021, Igboho and Akintoye declared the Oduduwa Republic at Ibadan.[1]

On 1 July 2021, a DSS raid on Igboho's residence preceded his arrest in Benin Republic.[2]

2022-2025: release and continued advocacy

Igboho was released on health grounds in March 2022.[3]

As of 2025, the movement continued public advocacy for an independent "Odua Nation."[4]

Sources for this page

Each number marks a specific claim. Notes give the source, its locator and how it relates to the claim.

  1. 1.

    Claim: In April 2021, more than 100 self-determination groups gathered in Ibadan, where activist Sunday Igboho and Professor Banji Akintoye, leader of Ilana Omo Oodua Worldwide (the umbrella body of Yoruba self-determination groups), declared the secession of Yoruba-populated southwestern Nigeria as the Oduduwa Republic, citing marginalisation, what they characterized as Nigeria's "pseudo-federalism," and perceived flaws in the 1999 Nigerian Constitution as amended.

    • The Yoruba Nation "secessionists" of Ibadan (TheCable) link, The Movement's Declaration section. Source record
  2. 2.

    Claim: On 1 July 2021, operatives of Nigeria's Department of State Services raided Sunday Igboho's residence in Ibadan, during which two of his aides were killed and twelve others arrested; Igboho subsequently fled Nigeria and was arrested on 19 July 2021 in Benin Republic while attempting to travel to Germany, alongside his wife, who was released shortly afterward. This bundle does not narrate the raid's specific circumstances or Igboho's earlier, separate vigilante activities against banditry and farmer-herder violence in detail.

    • Igboho released from prison, handed over to Akintoye in Benin Republic (International Centre for Investigative Reporting (Nigeria)) link, Raid and arrest section. Source record
  3. 3.

    Claim: In March 2022, Beninoise authorities released Sunday Igboho from detention on health grounds, after several months in custody, handing him over to Banji Akintoye and Ilana Omo Oodua Worldwide deputy leader Wale Adeniran; Igboho remained barred from leaving Benin Republic at the time of his release.

    • Igboho released from prison, handed over to Akintoye in Benin Republic (International Centre for Investigative Reporting (Nigeria)) link, Release section. Source record
  4. 4.

    Claim: As of 2025, Sunday Igboho continued to publicly state there would be "no going back" on the demand for an independent Yoruba nation, now more commonly referred to by the movement as the "Odua Nation," indicating the campaign's continuation as an active, if unresolved, political movement.

    • No Going Back On Demand For Independent Yoruba Nation — Igboho (Leadership (Nigeria)) link, Continued advocacy section. Source record

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Printed from https://independenceatlas.com/movements/yoruba-oduduwa/history · last substantive update 24 September 2026.