Ohanaeze Ndigbo Youth Council, the youth wing of the Igbo socio-cultural organisation Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, has asked President Bola Tinubu to ignore the comments by Governor Charles Soludo of Anambra State on Nnamdi Kanu.
Mr Kanu, facing terrorism charges at the Federal High Court in Abuja, is the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).
|
|
The IPOB leader has been in detention since he was repatriated to Nigeria from Kenya in June 2021 under controversial circumstances.
IPOB is a group leading the agitation for an independent state of Biafra, which it wants to be carved out from the South-east and some parts of South-south Nigeria.
|
|
|
|---|
What Soludo said
Many Igbo leaders have repeatedly called for the release of the IPOB leader, arguing that his freedom would end the worsening insecurity in the South-east.
But in mid-December 2024, Mr Soludo said releasing the IPOB leader might not end insecurity in the region.
The governor explained that the hoodlums behind frequent attacks in the South-east were criminals who had hijacked the Biafra struggle and are now hiding under the agitation and Mr Kanu’s name to perpetrate violence.
Stay Ahead with Premium Times
Follow us on Google News and never miss breaking stories, investigations, and in-depth reporting.
Add as a preferred source on Google
Council Speaks
On Thursday, the President of the Ohanaeze Youth Council, Nnabuike Okwu, in a statement, slammed Mr Soludo for the remarks.
Mr Okwu urged President Bola Tinubu to disregard the governor’s comment, which the youth body argued was not a reflection of the truth and general belief of Ndigbo.
He argued that the Anambra governor appeared to be performing poorly in managing insecurity in his state.
“This is why he found it so convenient to play down the role Nnamdi Kanu’s release will play towards stabilising the South-east.
“We know that Mr President is a man of honour; he should not allow the likes of Soludo to mislead him,” he said.
“He should do Ndigbo a great favour by ordering the unconditional release of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu. This will no doubt de-escalate tension in the South-east region.”
Fulfill campaign promise, agreement
Recently, Mr Kanu’s brother, Emmanuel, claimed that the family had an agreement with Mr Tinubu’s son, Seyi, ahead of the 2023 general elections.
Emmanuel claimed that Seyi agreed with the family to prevail on IPOB so as not to disrupt the election. He promised that his father, if elected president, would release Mr Kanu.
The IPOB leader’s brother also claimed that Mr Tinubu knew of the agreement and had authorised his son to get the deal.
Mr Okwu, in the Thursday statement, urged Mr Tinubu to fulfil his campaign “promise” and the “agreement” his son, Seyi, allegedly had with Mr Kanu’s family to free the IPOB leader.
“It is no doubt a tonic to the endless tension in Igbo land,” he said of what would happen if Mr Kanu is released.
Background
Mr Kanu was first arrested in 2015 under the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari.
The Court of Appeal, Abuja, on 13 October 2022, held that the IPOB leader was extraordinarily renditioned to Nigeria and that the action was a flagrant violation of the country’s extradition treaty and a breach of his fundamental human rights.
The court, therefore, struck out the terrorism charges filed against Mr Kanu by the Nigerian government and ordered his release from the SSS facility.
But the government refused to release the IPOB leader, insisting that he (Kanu) could be unavailable in subsequent court proceedings if released and that his release would cause insecurity in the South-east, where he comes from.
The government, through the office of the Attorney-General of the Federation, later appealed the court ruling and subsequently obtained an order staying the execution of the court judgement at the Supreme Court.
Delivering judgement on the appeal on 15 December 2023, the Supreme Court reversed the lower court’s acquittal granted to Mr Kanu and consequently ordered the continuation of his trial at the Federal High Court Abuja.
Discover more from Premium Times Nigeria
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
More News
