Governor Alex Otti of Abia State has assured Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the outlawed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), that he will resolve the IPOB leader’s issues with the Nigerian government and secure his release from prison.
Mr Otti spoke on Sunday when he visited a prison facility in Sokoto State, where Mr Kanu is serving his life imprisonment for terrorism, the governor’s media aide, Ferdinand Ekeoma, said in a statement Sunday night.
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The governor, according to the statement, while discussing with Mr Kanu during the visit, encouraged him to remain “calm and strong.”
He also assured Mr Kanu that the engagements he (the governor) started over two years ago, which the IPOB leader has been aware of, have been intensified despite the life imprisonment.
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Mr Otti further assured Mr Kanu that “the issue” would be “resolved administratively” and he (Kanu) will “regain his freedom.”
Sultan of Sokoto’s ‘support’ for Kanu’s release
Mr Otti said he is excited that the Sultan of Sokoto is also in support of the need for Mr Kanu’s “freedom and de-escalation of tension” in South-east Nigeria.
The governor also informed Mr Kanu that the Sultan of Sokoto had on “a lighter note” told him (Otti) that he (Kanu) is now “his subject and he was going to turban him.”
“The information got the IPOB leader laughing loudly,” the statement said.
Nnamdi Kanu speaks
Responding, Mr Kanu, according to the statement, thanked Governor Otti for the visit, adding that he was not surprised by the quick visit after the conviction, given that the governor had done a similar thing in the past.
The IPOB leader told Mr Otti that he (Kanu) is only interested in good governance and anything that could improve the people’s lives.
He then commended the governor for his “giant strides” in Abia, saying he was impressed with his performance which he said was based on the feedback he gets from the South-eastern state.
First visit by a governor
With the development, Mr Otti became the first governor to visit Mr Kanu in Sokoto State after the court sentenced him to life imprisonment.
Barely 24 hours after the court sentenced Mr Kanu, Mr Otti had announced he would activate plans to secure his release from prison.
The Attorney-General of Abia State and Commissioner for Justice, Ikechukwu Uwanna, SAN, the governor’s media aide, Mr Ekeoma, and some top officials of the Sokoto State Government accompanied the governor on the visit to the prison facility.
Mr Kanu’s younger brother, Emmanuel, was also present during the visit.
Conviction and life imprisonment
This newspaper reported that on 20 November, a Federal High Court, Abuja, convicted Mr Kanu of terrorism, after the court found him guilty on all seven counts filed against him by the Nigerian government.
The trial judge, James Omotosho, sentenced him to life imprisonment and ordered that he be prevented from having access to mobile devices and broadcast equipment except under the watch of security operatives.
The IPOB leader was moved from Abuja to Sokoto State shortly after the court sentenced him.
Mr Kanu hails from Afara-Ukwu in Umuahia North Local Government Area of Abia State, Nigeria’s South-east.
