100 Layers to Defend Suspects Arrested in Connection with Ife Crisis

Yoruba socio-cultural organisation, Afenifere, has said it will assemble over 100 lawyers to defend the 20 indigenes of Ile-Ife, who are being held for their alleged involvement in the recent clash between the indigenes and the Hausa community in the town.

It was learnt on Wednesday that the organisation had secured the readiness of no fewer than 18 lawyers of Yoruba extraction to represent the accused persons free.

The National Publicity Secretary of Afenifere, Yinka Odumakin, stated this in an interview with one of our correspondents in Abuja.

“For now, about 18 Yoruba sons and daughters, who are all lawyers, have expressed interest to defend their brothers who have been falsely accused. Many others are coming to join. At the end, Afenifere will be having over 100 Yoruba lawyers to defend the 20 Ife indigenes,” he said.

In the statement, Afenifere said it would resist the undue deployment of federal troops in the South-West to settle ethnic scores.

It added, “Following the illegal, unconstitutional and sectional parade of 20 Ife indigenes over the recent clashes between the host community and Arewa settlers, Afenifere has vowed to resist the undue deployment of federal might to settle ethnic scores.

“As a first step in this regard, we have assembled a powerful team of lawyers to enforce the fundamental human rights of the 20 abducted Yoruba persons.

“It is a settled law that the investigation and trial of suspects must take place at the scene of the crime. We are appreciative of the many lawyers of Yoruba extraction who have taken up this challenge pro bono.

“The legal team will challenge this subversion of due process while political pressure continues on why two communities will be involved in a fight and only members of one community will be put on trial by a police whose leadership is of the same ethnic group with the other party in the conflict.

“We restate the fact that the Arewa group started the killings in Ife by killing a Yoruba young man. This is clearly missing in the skewed report by the police.

“We appeal to our people to be calm while we pursue the legal angle to this challenge to our pride as a people as the first step.”