Ohanaeze Ndigbo, the prominent Igbo socio-cultural organization, has issued an appeal to Northern leaders and former militant leader Asari Dokubo, urging them to forgive the pro-Biafra agitator Nnamdi Kanu and collaborate toward securing his release.
This call from Ohanaeze comes in response to Kanu’s declaration that he will not implore the Federal Government or President Bola Tinubu for his release. Kanu emphasized that such an action would dishonor the cherished memories of Pa Mbazulike Amaechi, who passed away in 2022 at the age of 91.
Previously, a delegation of Igbo elders had requested the release of the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) following the Appeal Court’s decision to free him. Nevertheless, Ohanaeze believes there are ongoing efforts by Northern individuals and Dokubo to exert pressure on the Federal Government to reject the request for Kanu’s release.
According to a statement by Ohanaeze’s factional Secretary-General, Okechukwu Isiguzoro, Kanu’s stance is justified, and people should cease pleading for his release. Isiguzoro stressed that the pronouncement made by the Appeal Court concerning Kanu’s release is paramount. The organization is urging the Supreme Court to schedule a hearing for the government’s appeal against Kanu’s release.
Ohanaeze also implored the Federal Government to uphold the rule of law and unconditionally release Kanu, who has been held in custody for years without compliance with court orders.
The statement reads: “Ohanaeze Ndigbo, the apex Igbo socio-cultural organization, is believed to have played a significant role in the earlier release of Nnamdi Kanu in 2017, the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).
“The organization is said to have sent a delegation to the North and prominent Nigerians to pacify them and seek their support for Kanu’s release.
“This time around, Ohanaeze Ndigbo is likely to adopt a similar strategy, focusing on underground networking with critical stakeholders and appealing to those who were aggrieved by Kanu’s broadcasts in the past.
“The organization may also seek the assistance of Igbo billionaire business moguls and the leadership of the Movement for the Actualization of the Sovereign State of Biafra, MASSOB, who played a significant role in the previous release of Kanu in 2017.
“However, the current situation is more challenging due to the lack of diplomatic underground work and the need to pacify some friends of the government, especially some Northern leadership and groups and Asari Dokubo, a former Niger Delta militant.
“The violent sit-at-home protests have also not brought any desired outcome, leading Igbos to change tactics in their efforts to secure Kanu’s release.”
