It’s time to release Nnamdi Kanu, Igbo group appeals to Tinubu

An Igbo pan-global cultural organisation, Ogbako Ndi Igbo Na Uwaniile, has expressed deep concern over the continued detention of the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu, while appealing to President Bola Tinubu to review his case and take immediate steps to ensure Kanu’s unconditional release.

According to the group, since his arrest in Kenya on June 29, 2021 and imprisoned in the custody of Department of Security Service, DSS, “solely for exercising his fundamental human rights, Kanu has been unjustly deprived of his liberty through long detention.”

This, the group  argued, was even as Mazi Kanu, whom they described as a prisoner of conscience, “has  demonstrated no threat to public  safety and has not engaged in any acts of violence. His arrest and imprisonment violate both international human rights standards and the principles that no one should be punished for peacefully expressing their views.”

In a release signed by Chief Lord Okey Igbokwe, Media and Public Relations Adviser, Ogbako Ndi-Igbo na Uwaniile, the group also posited that keeping Kanu in solitary confinement is one of the reasons for the insecurity presently ravaging the South-East zone of the country.

The group argued that the unfortunate development has given room for hoodlums and non-state actors to cause mayhem, thereby undermining the economic development of the region and the nation.

According to the statement: “Ogbako Ndi Igbo will also want President Tinubu to consider the fact that in October 2022, Nigeria’s Appeal Court dropped all charges against Kanu and used that as a basis to order for his immediate release.” And in doing this, the group said the president would have demonstrated that what is good for the goose is also good for the gander.

“In the light of this, Sunday Adeniyi Adeyemo (aka Igboho) is known for his advocacy for an independent Yoruba nation, like Mazi Nnamdi Kanu. Mr Igboho was arrested and released but to the greatest surprise of  many Nigerians, Igboho was seen in London a few weeks ago, engaged in a protest and submitted a petition to the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Mr Keir Starmer to consider the secession of the Yoruba Nation from Nigeria. Mr. President, what is the difference between the crime Mazi Nnamdi Kanu is accused of and that of Sunday Adeyemo?

“Mr President, we also want to remind you that Chief Frederick Nwajagu, one of the leaders of Ndi-Igbo in Lagos State, was arrested in April 2023 following an allegation of threatening to invite Eastern Security Network to Lagos to secure the property of the Igbo people living in the state as they were being destroyed and vandalised by hoodlums.

“We believe that Chief Nwajagu may have acted on the basis that the Nigeria security forces can no longer protect or defend lives and property in the country. Chief Frederick Nwajagu has been undergoing trials and remanded in custody.

“Mr President, we want to also remind you that the Niger Delta Warlord, Asari Dokubo, had threatened to shoot down a military helicopter hovering around his residence, stating that he could challenge the Nigerian military and also filmed himself brandishing an AK-47 rifle and threatening to kill all the Igbo.

“Mr. President, the right to freedom of  expression and belief are enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, to which Nigeria is a signatory. Protection of life and property is a fundamental principle of civilised societies.

“Mazi Kanu and Chief Nwajagu deserve these rights. We trust that your office will give this matter the urgency and seriousness it deserves. The continued detention of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, Chief Nwajagu and many other freedom fighters is not only a grave injustice but also sets a bad precedent for the protection of basic human rights in Nigeria.”