It was gathered that some criminals in their numbers sneaked into the town, unleashing mayhem on the community thereby forcing the traditional council members and local security to keep vigil in some areas through the night on Friday.

Following the criminal invasion, the Ooni, in a statement through the Lowa of Ife, Chief Abraham Ademola, has ordered restriction of movement in the town between 11 pm to 5 am daily.

It reads “The Imperial Majesty, Oba Ogunwusi has ordered lockdown from 11 PM to 5 AM in Ife Township from today, (Saturday). No vigil, no night party, night prayers in all churches and mosques, etc. This is because robbers and bandits presence in Ile-Ife is on high which is causing the community sleepless nights. The police with the local securities are now in the community to ensure security. Anyone caught in within these hours will be treated as such. The restriction is still further noticed”

Sunday Adeyemo, popularly known as Sunday Igboho, had been declared wanted by Nigeria’s security outfit, Department of State Services, and he is currently detained in the Benin Republic.

The activist’s lawyers have applied for asylum on his behalf but the Benin Republic government has yet to respond.

Amid Igboho’s travails, the Ooni of Ife set up a committee and sent a delegation to the Benin Republic alongside Olubadan to observe one of the court proceedings on Igboho’s case.

The Governor of Lagos, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, also tacitly confirmed that Yoruba leaders are working “behind the scene” on Sunday Igboho’s matter.

Before Sanwo-Olu’s comment, Southern governors had asked DSS to inform them before carrying out major operations in the states. This was a few days after Igboho’s house was raided by DSS leading to the loss of lives.

On Saturday, the Special Assistant on Media to Obasanjo, Kehinde Akinyemi, confirmed that Nigerian ex-President, Olusegun Obasanjo, met with the President of the Republic of Benin, Patrice Talon, in the first week of August.

Akinyemi said “Obasanjo was in Benin Republic on Monday and he met with the President but nobody knew what they discussed,”

Reacting, Organising Secretary of Afenifere, Apogun Kola Omololu, commended the Yoruba leaders for their intervention.

He said the Yoruba leaders intervened because they do not believe that Igboho will get just if extradited to Nigeria from Benin Republic.

Omololu said, “Obasanjo is a Yoruba man first before becoming a president. Yoruba leaders are not noisemakers, they don’t make noise, they act. Look at the way we fought the NADECO battle, it was intellectually coordinated. Obasanjo won’t want Yorubaland to be disgraced. We all know that Federal Government is after the Yoruba nation, not Igboho. Obafemi Awolowo tried his best but was rolled into prison. MKO Abiola was killed. We want a bigger Nigeria that is working. It is restructuring or Yoruba Nation. Ooni and Olubadan are Yoruba men before they are Nigerians. They have to look after their children. They will not allow Sunday to be extradited. This government is lawless, they believe in brutality, not legality. Igboho is a social crusader, not a terrorist. He is protecting his people after the government failed and he didn’t kill anyone throughout his agitation. He is after the criminals. Why is the government defending the criminals? Sunday should be treated as a hero. Obasanjo and the monarchs have shown that they are full-blooded Yoruba persons. We applaud Baba Obasanjo. God will continue to raise the Yoruba Nation up. We are peace-loving. If the Yoruba Nation is peaceful, every part of Nigeria will benefit from it. Nobody is now safe in Yorubaland, If they have the chance, they can attack Obasanjo too. This administration has divided Nigeria so much. We are praying that this administration should end soon. This government has destroyed so many things. Federal Government should be considerate now by the efforts of the Yoruba leaders. Obasanjo is the father of Africa and he must be respected”

Babalola, who announced a donation of N50m for the confab, which he said was billed to hold soon at ABUAD hall and ABUAD Inn, said eminent Nigerians, including former Presidents and leading traditional rulers, would be attended to the confab to proffer solutions to the country’s problems.

He said, “The situation in Nigeria today is gruesome and all hands must be on the deck to save it from total collapse. I am proposing ABUAD as the venue of the summit because it is safe, has a Federal Ministry of Aviation-certified helipad, well equipped 400-bed multi-system hospital, among others.

Among personalities that Babalola said would be invited included the Sultan of Sokoto; Alhaji Saad Abubakar; Alaafin of Oyo; Oba Lamidi Adeyemi; Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi; Ewi of Ado Ekiti, Oba Rufus Adejugbe and Obi Of Onitsha, Igwe Alfred Achebe; Bishop David Oyedepo; Bishop Mathew Hassan Kukah; Pastor Enoch Adeboye; Gen. Theophilus Danjuma; Bola Ahmed Tinubu; Prof. Wole Soyinka; and Chief Ayo Adebanjo.

The monarch named him after the 49th Ooni in the 3rd dynasty of Ife, Oba Adesoji Tadenikawo Aderemi.

It was in accordance with traditional rites which last 21 days.

Oba Ogunwusi explained that first prince naming after Oba Aderemi, was in fulfillment of a promise he made.

“Our prince is hereby named Tadenikawo, Adesoji, Aderemi, Eri-Ifeoluwasimi, Adeiwa, Inioluwa, Ademide, Adegbite, Diekoloreoluwa Ogunwusi Ojaja II.”

The Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, who had visited the President in Abuja earlier this month to discuss the prevailing insecurity in the Southwest region, led the other monarchs.

At the meeting, the Ooni clarified that the Yorubas are not interested in war but are only interested in how the security of lives and properties in the region can be improved.