The Yoruba National Youth, United Kingdom Chapter, has written an urgent appeal to the Speaker of the House of Commons, Rt. Hon. Sir Lindsay Hoyle MP, calling on the UK Government to use its diplomatic influence to address ongoing human rights concerns in Nigeria and support the Yoruba self-determination movement.
In a letter dated on May 17, 2025, and copied to key figures including the Prime Minister, Deputy Prime Minister, the Leader of His Majesty’s Opposition, and other party leaders, Gbola Adewunmi, speaking on behalf of the Yoruba National Youth UK, condemned what it described as “colonial-era impunity” by Nigeria’s security forces.
The group warned that these forces have now been “dangerously infiltrated by extremists and terrorists.”
“Peaceful protest is not a crime; it is a right,” the letter emphasised, pointing out that even Nigeria’s “deeply flawed” constitution recognises the right to peaceful assembly.
The group demanded that the UK Government push the Nigerian authorities to cease any form of repression against prodemocracy and self-determination campaigners and instead initiate a meaningful dialogue with Yoruba leaders, specifically the Yoruba Self-Determination Movement led by Prof. Banji Akintoye.
Furthermore, the Yoruba National Youth UK proposed the suspension of all non-essential diplomatic and family-related visas for Nigerian government officials and their relatives.
The group also called for the cancellation of existing visas for all current and former political officeholders and their families, as a means to pressure the Nigerian government into engaging in sincere negotiations aimed at ending what they described as “an unfruitful and abusive union.”
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