Buratai Meets Beninese President As Nigerian Envoy Amid Sunday Igboho’s Trial
Lt Gen Tukur Buratai (retd. ), Nigeria’s former Chief of Army Staff, met with Patrice Talon, President of the Benin Republic, as the Nigerian ambassador and presented him with his letter of credence.
Buratai met with Talon on Tuesday, according to SaharaReporters, during the continuing trial of Yoruba Nation activist Sunday Adeyemo (Igboho) in the West African country.
Both dignitaries discussed the subject behind closed doors, according to sources, with insinuations that Buratai was not legally recognized in the Francophone country until yesterday.
On July 21, it was reported that Buratai was in the forefront of the Muhammadu Buhari regime’s desperate efforts to extradite Igboho to Nigeria.
Buratai, who was appointed Nigerian envoy to Benin in June 2021, was also involved in the arrest of Sunday Igboho, according to SaharaReporters.
Buratai had secretly written a letter to Beninese security agencies ordering them to arrest Igboho wherever they located him, according to a top security source in the Benin Republic.
“At the moment, Buratai is leading other Nigerian officials and lawyers together with the Interpol to ensure that Igboho is returned to Nigeria as soon as possible. He wants to make that his first success,” a source noted.
“Buratai since the declaration by the Department of State Services sent a secret letter to the Beninese government to be on the lookout for Igboho. There were feelers that Igboho was in the small West African country and some of Igboho’s associates also gave him away,” the source had added.
Buratai’s memo was behind the arrest of Igboho and his wife, Ropo, at the Cadjèhoun Airport in Cotonou, the largest city in the French-speaking country.
Recall that three weeks ago, the Department of State Services declared Igboho wanted for allegedly stockpiling arms, an allegation he had since denied.
Before then, the DSS on July 1, 2021 raided his house at Soka area of Ibadan, killing two of his aides and arresting 12 others.
