Btlsblog Latest News & Gossip
Ex-President, Obasanjo travels to Benin Republic, seeks asylum for Sunday Igboho
Nigeria’s former President Olusegun Obasanjo travelled to Benin Republic to intervene in the case of Yoruba rights activist, Sunday Igboho who is undergoing trial in the Francophone country.
Top sources told TheCable that Obasanjo travelled to Zanzibar, an island in Tanzania, on August 1 and rerouted to Benin Republic.
He was said to have travelled to the nation in the guise of condoling with the country’s former president, Nicephore Soglo who recently lost his wife – Roseline Soglo.
Roseline died on July 25 at the age of 87 in Cotonou. Soglo governed from 1991 to 1996.
The former Beninise president and Obasanjo are said to have maintained a warm relationship over the years.
Soglo is one of the African leaders who intervened at the time the Abacha regime arrested and jailed Obasanjo in 1995.
Downloads btlsblog mobile app on playstore
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.wBtlsblog_13609357
“Former President Obasanjo travelled to Zanzibar on August 1. Perhaps to conceal his trip; he rerouted to Benin Republic.
“He was to condole with former President Soglo who recently lost his wife,” one of the sources said.
Another source who was also privy to Obasanjo’s trip said: “He also met with Patrice Talon. The purpose of the meeting was to seek soft-landing for Sunday Igboho.
“He’s asking the Beninise authorities to grant the separatist leader asylum, and not to return him to Nigeria.
“The former president intervened on the request of some south-west leaders.”
Igboho was arrested by at the airport in Cotonou while attempting to flee to Germany with his wife.
An aide of Obasanjo confirmed the former president was in Benin Republic.
It was gathered that Obasanjo returned to Nigeria by road through Idiroko land border in Ogun state.
