Renowned activist and author, Reno Omokri, has expressed his admiration for the bravery showcased by a Yoruba man, Abioye Oladeji, who recently faced death threats from members of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) due to his ethnic background.
Omokri drew a parallel between Oladeji’s courage and the heroic actions of Colonel Adekunle Fajuyi during the Nigerian civil war.
In a video which has gone viral, Oladeji was seen in a very dehumanising position as he was being interrogated by someone who claimed he is a member of ESN, also known as IPOB.
The off-camera IPOB member was heard saying they released someone unscathed because he was Igbo but Oladeji will not be that luck because he is Yoruba.
Reacting to the incident, Omokri applauded Oladeji’s bravery and likened his refusal to deny his Yoruba identity to the actions of Colonel Adekunle Fajuyi. Fajuyi, the then-governor of Western Nigeria, chose to stand in solidarity with Major General Thomas Aguiyi Ironsi, the Head of State, when mutinous soldiers led by Major T. Y. Danjuma sought to arrest and kill him in 1966.
Omokri emphasized that Oladeji’s actions demonstrate the strength and resilience of the Yoruba people.
He wrote:
Even with the tragedy of that video, what impressed me is that the young man never denied that he is (hopefully not was) Yoruba. That is so chivalrous and is what made me champion #FreeLeahSharibu, after Leah refused to deny Christ before Boko Haram.
And Abioye Oladeji has definitely and irrefutably dispelled the false stereo of Yorubas as cowardly betrayers. He reminded me of Colonel Adekunle Fajuyi, who refused to release and betray Major General Thomas Aguiyi Ironsi to the mutinous soldiers and insisted on following him to his death.
I pray that this unnamed man survived, and if anyone knows what eventually happened to Abioye Oladeji, please reveal it. Whatever his fate, he is a Nigerian hero!
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