The apex Igbo socio-cultural group, Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, has once again urged the Federal Government to release the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Mazi Nnamdi Kanu.
The group’s appeal comes four years after Kanu was taken into custody, following his controversial arrest and extradition from Kenya.
Speaking through a statement issued on Friday in Enugu, Dr. Ezechi Chukwu, National Publicity Secretary of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, called on President Bola Tinubu to intervene by using his constitutional powers and diplomatic leverage to secure Kanu’s release.
Chukwu emphasized that doing so would reflect a commitment to equity, justice, and national reconciliation.
He furthered by criticising the circumstances surrounding Kanu’s arrest in 2021, describing his continued detention as a “moral burden” on Nigeria’s judiciary.
He argued that the manner in which Kanu was extradited from Kenya lacked legal backing and cast a shadow over the legitimacy of his trial and prolonged incarceration.
“For four years, justice has remained elusive. The process that brought him back to Nigeria was flawed from the outset,” Chukwu said.
“The continued denial of his freedom calls into question the very integrity of our legal institutions and challenges the principles of fairness that should underpin any democratic society.”
Ohanaeze Ndigbo’s renewed demand adds to growing calls from across the Southeast and beyond for a political resolution to the Kanu case.
As tensions around the issue persist, the group maintains that releasing the IPOB leader would serve as a crucial step toward healing deep-rooted divisions and promoting national unity.
Still on this kanu case