|
Listen to article
|
President Muhammadu Buhari has ruled out the possibility of releasing the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu citing several reasons.
Although he acknowledges the possibility of a political solution as a way of resolving the issue, he believes the IPOB leader must answer for his actions over the years, especially while he was out of the country.
‘Nigerians know that I don’t interfere with the judiciary,’ the President told Channels Television in an exclusive interview that was monitored by The Eastern Updates.
‘Let him be listened to. For those who are saying that we should release him, no we cannot release him.
‘There is a possibility of political solution; if people behave themselves, all well and good, but you can’t go to a foreign country and keep on sending incorrect economic and security problem against your country and thinking that you will never have to account for what you have been doing. Let him account for what he has been doing.’
Read Also: 2023: Afenifere, PANDEF, MBF, Others Endorse Igbo Presidency
The Eastern Updates recalls that in November last year, President Buhari had promised to consider the request of some leaders from the South East region to release Kanu who is presently facing treason charges preferred against him by the Nigerian Government.
Although he told the Igbo leaders under the aegis of Highly Respected Igbo Greats that they had made an extremely difficult demand, he insisted that the best thing was to subject the IPOB leader to the judicial system.
In his interview, President Buhari doubted if Kanu was willing to return to the country to clear his name from the allegations against him after he fled in 2017.
‘There is one institution that I wouldn’t dare interfere with – that is the judiciary,’ he said. ‘Kanu’s case is with the judiciary, but what I wonder is when Kanu was safely in Europe abusing this administration and mentioning too many things, I never thought really he wants to voluntarily come and defend himself on the accusations.
‘So, we are giving him an opportunity to defend himself in our system, not to be abusing us from Europe as if he was not a Nigerian. Let him come here to us and then criticise us here.’
Asides the trial of the IPOB leader, the President also spoke about a number of burning issues including security, economy, and politics, among others.
THE EASTERN UPDATES
