An unnamed United Kingdom-based travel company reportedly helped Yoruba Nation activist, Sunday Adeyemo, aka Sunday Igboho to pay for his botched Cotonou-Paris-Hamburg flight.
The ticket was paid for in British pound sterling using a cheque as means of payment, The PUNCH reports.
On July 1, Igboho’s house was raided by operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS), who killed two of his associates and arrested others.
However, the activist escaped the invasion but was arrested at the Cotonou Airport on July 19, 2021, by the Republic of Benin authorities.
A source privy to his departure from Nigeria said he had perfected plans to secretly escape from Nigeria through Cotonou and was heading to Germany.
He was, however, nabbed by security operatives in the neighbouring country.
Meanwhile, the Nigerian government assembled at least six lawyers at the Cour De’Appel De Cotonou, Benin Republic, in a bid to secure the extradition of the Yoruba Nation agitator.
SaharaReporters learnt that the lawyers, both French and English speaking, however, failed to convince the court after a 13-hour trial as to why Igboho should be extradited.
“The court session took no less than 13 hours because of frequent breaks in-between. Also, the Beninese court system is different from the system of law in Nigeria.
“Nigerian courts have an adversarial system of justice but Benin Republic has an inquisitorial system; a justice system in which the judge takes the matter on himself to inquire like an investigator, asking questions and probing the two parties,” a legal source said.
“So, the court was actually investigating the three main allegations brought against Igboho by the Federal Government of Nigeria which claimed that Igboho was a gun runner, a terrorist and a criminal who wanted to divide Nigeria. All these could not be proven by the lawyers,” the source said
The Yoruba Nation agitator is still facing trial in the Republic of Benin as his lawyers continue to battle the West African nation’s government for his release.
However, the investigation by the newspaper shows that Igboho was to travel on Air France from the Republic of Benin via France to join his family in Germany on July 19, 2021.
He was to travel on flight AF700, which would depart the Republic of Benin for France before a connecting flight to Germany.
The Cotonou-Paris-Hamburg flight was to depart Cotonou Airport at 11.35 pm and arrive at the Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport at 5.20 pm the following day, July 20, 2021.
Igboho was then expected to connect his next flight at CDG by 09.30am to arrive at Hamburg Airport by 11.40am on the same day.
However, he could not make any of the flights due to his arrest by the Republic of Benin authorities.
The UK travel firm which bought the ticket using a cheque as means of payment, had since claimed the ticket refund.
It was gathered that the Business Class Cotonou-Hamburg ticket had cost £2,685 (N1.48 million).
