A coalition of 44 serving members of the House of Representatives has written to President Bola Tinubu, urging him to exercise his constitutional authority to release the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, and initiate a broad political dialogue to address the security and socio-political challenges in the South-east.
The lawmakers, drawn from various political parties and representing constituencies across both the North and South, issued a two-page letter and resolution under the platform of “Concerned Federal Lawmakers.”
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Their appeal marks a new phase in the growing national demand for a political resolution to the long-running agitation in the region.
In the letter, the legislators asked the president to “as soon as practicable” direct the Attorney-General of the Federation to invoke his constitutional powers by discontinuing Mr Kanu’s ongoing prosecution. They argued that such a step would pave the way for an inclusive roundtable capable of producing a lasting and just political settlement.
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The letter, endorsed by lawmakers including Ikenga Ugochinyere, Obi Aguocha, Murphy Osaro, Peter Akpanke, Mudshiru Lukman, Paul Nnamechi, Sunday Cyriacus, Obed Shehu, Dominic Okafor, Ugwu Emmanuel, Daniel Ago, Chike Okafor and Adam Ogene, emphasised that Mr Kanu’s prolonged detention has continued to fuel tensions and insecurity in the South-east.
Others who signed include Emeka Chinedu, Chimaobi Sam, Alex Ikwechegh, Donatus Matthew, Ibe Osonwa, Okey-Joe Onuakalusi, Thaddeus Atta, Udema Okonkwo, Cyril Godwin, Chinwe Nnabuike, Kana Nkemkama, Peter Aniekwe, Gwachem Maureen, Anayo Onwuegbu, Nwobosi Joseph, Amobi Godwin, Blessing Amadi, Anthony Adepoju, Joshua Gana, Chris Nkwonta, Emeka Idu, Peter Uzokwe, Matthew Nwogu, Tochukwu Okere, Benedict Etanabene, Godwin Offiono, Ngozi Okolie and Nnamdi Ezechi.
The legislators noted that the federal government had in the past engaged in negotiations with other militant and agitating groups across the country, making it imperative to adopt similar political tools in resolving the South-east question.
They also referenced several domestic court rulings and international tribunal pronouncements that have favoured Mr Kanu, as well as the growing national sentiment supporting his release.
In the letter titled “National Interest Driven Resolution by Concerned Federal Lawmakers on the Continued Detention of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu,” the group said their position followed a closed-door strategy session and wide consultations across party and ethnic lines.
Part of the letter reads: “Driven by the abiding and urgent need for national reconciliation and healing, and having noted the Federal Government’s open negotiations with militants and different agitating groups in different parts of Nigeria; and in view of the insecurity that has pervaded South-east since late 2015 and which spiked since 2021 and in the realisation of the many domestic court and international tribunal pronouncements in favor of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu and In the face of the growing national groundswell supporting the release of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu and for the discontinuance of his prosecution;
“We, the within-named federal lawmakers, hereby respectfully and earnestly request our dear President, His Excellency, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, to, as soon as practicable, direct the Attorney-General of the Federation to exercise his constitutional powers and discontinue the prosecution of Mazi Namdi Kanu.”
The lawmakers expressed gratitude to President Tinubu for what they described as his anticipated prompt consideration of their appeal, assuring him of their continued respect and support for his office.
The Nnamdi Kanu Case
Mr Kanu, leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), has been at the centre of one of Nigeria’s most contentious legal and political disputes in the last decade. His agitation for a separate Biafran state has drawn both nationwide attention and polarising reactions, leading to repeated arrests, trials and confrontations between security agencies and supporters across the South-east.
Mr Kanu was first arrested in October 2015 and charged with treasonable felony, unlawful possession of firearms and managing an unlawful society.
After spending over a year in detention, he was granted bail in 2017 under strict conditions. However, he fled the country in 2017 following a military raid on his home in Abia State during Operation Python Dance. The federal government later declared him a fugitive.
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In June 2021, Mr Kanu was re-arrested outside Nigeria under controversial circumstances and returned to Abuja to face prosecution. His lawyers insist he was “extraordinarily renditioned,” a claim repeatedly raised before Nigerian courts and international legal bodies. His continued detention has since fuelled weekly sit-at-home orders, violent clashes and a deteriorating security environment in parts of the South-east.
In October 2022, the Court of Appeal discharged and acquitted Mr Kanu of all remaining charges, ruling that his extraordinary rendition had violated international law and stripped the federal government of the right to continue the trial. The judgment was later stayed by the Supreme Court, which ordered the continuation of the trial.
Despite multiple court rulings questioning the legality of his detention, the federal government has maintained that Mr Kanu must face trial for alleged offences against the state. This has sparked widespread criticism from civil society groups, traditional institutions, religious bodies and political actors who argue that a political solution, not prolonged litigation, offers the most credible route to restoring stability in the South-east.
