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Ahead of the resumption of the trial of the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, the Ohanaeze Ndigbo Youth Council Worldwide has urged the President Muhammadu Buhari-led Federal Government to ensure that it doused the rising tension in the zone.
Kanu is expected to appear in court tomorrow, Thursday, October, 21, as the Court begins hearing in a case of treason filed against him by the Federal Government.
The Eastern Updates reports that both parties have already been served a hearing notice with the Federal Government also filing an amended charge against the IPOB leader.
Recall that a few weeks ago, the secessionist group had threatened to shut down the South-East if the Government failed to produce him in court, a development that has now worsened tension in the already volatile region.
Read Also: Release Kanu, De-Proscribe IPOB – Monarchs Tell Buhari
In a statement made available to The Eastern Updates, the President-General of OYC, Mazi Okwu Nnabuike said the Federal Government had before it a chance to douse tension in the South-East.
‘I must say that what awaits the Federal Government tomorrow is a date with history. We have heard in several quarters that the government is happy with the heightened tension and insecurity in the South-East but we chose not to believe it.
‘However, here comes a time for the government to absolve itself of these allegations. The first step is that nothing should stop the appearance of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu in court. There is no room for excuses as the government has all the arsenal, all the security apparatus to make that happen.
‘The only way to calm the restiveness in the South-East is to ensure that Kanu is arraigned in court tomorrow. The Federal Government should not think of any other option because it would be an invitation to disaster and trouble of unimaginable proportions in the zone,’ he stated.
Okwu added that, ‘The Ohanaeze Ndigbo Youth Council Worldwide has been interfacing with the angry youths in Igboland and we have continued to give them assurances that a political solution would secure Kanu’s freedom. We do not expect that the government should blow away this opportunity.
“If the Federal Government could easily free and integrate Boko Haram terrorists who have murdered Nigerians and security agencies in their numbers, we find no reason it should not dialogue with the aggrieved Igbo youths.
“Unleashing the military on the South-East will never bring a permanent solution, rather it will exacerbate the matter.’
He appealed to Ndigbo ‘to remain calm and avoid any form of confrontation with security agencies, as a single life lost cannot be quantified and nothing can compensate for it.’
THE EASTERN UPDATES
