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The clamor for the unconditional release of Nnamdi Kanu, the embattled leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), has sparked a national conversation, with various groups and interests intensifying their campaigns.
The debate has taken center stage, with many calling for the immediate freedom of the detained separatist leader.
A broad spectrum of influential voices, including political heavyweights, statesmen, and lawmakers, has joined the chorus demanding the release of a man hailed as Nigeria’s most prominent freedom fighter of the modern era. The latest addition to this chorus is the forum of South East State governors, further amplifying the clamor for his freedom.
For years, the Federal Government has been embroiled in a protracted legal battle with a prominent separatist leader, pursuing charges of treason and public disturbance across various courts.
The high-stakes case has been a defining feature of the political landscape, with far-reaching implications for the nation’s unity and stability.
The chorus of pleas for his freedom, which began during the tenure of former President Muhammadu Buhari, has swelled to a deafening crescendo, with a diverse array of voices – from familiar faces to unexpected allies – imploring President Bola Tinubu to intervene and bring an end to his prolonged detention through a political solution.
The South East political elite and influential stakeholders have intensified their campaign for Kanu’s freedom, besieging the Federal Government with impassioned appeals and formal petitions that implore President Tinubu to balance the scales of justice with mercy and grant the detained leader his long-sought liberty.
The realization that Kanu’s protracted detention has been a significant catalyst for the South East’s simmering tensions, violent agitations, and insecurity has prompted a sizable number of influential Nigerians to advocate for his freedom, believing it would markedly reduce hostilities, restore calm, and bolster the region’s and country’s economic and political fortunes.
A formidable lineup of stakeholders has emerged to push for Kanu’s release, featuring lawmakers from both chambers of the National Assembly, venerable elder statesman Pa Edwin Clark, distinguished diplomat Emeka Anyoku, leading business figures, and the President-General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu, in addition to governors, Catholic Bishops, youths, women from the South East, and a broad representation of Nigerians.
The cries for intervention reached a fever pitch when, within a span of just seven days, both the South East Governors Forum and a bipartisan group of federal lawmakers appealed to President Tinubu to take swift and decisive action to rescue the dwindling economic fortunes of the Igbo people, imperiled by the IPOB’s Monday sit-at-home directive.
Read also: FG Unlikely To Enter Talks, Free Nnamdi Kanu – Stakeholders
Kanu’s ongoing detention at a DSS facility has become increasingly politicized in the eyes of many, as the Federal Government’s selective approach to granting freedom to separatist leaders tried on similar charges raises troubling questions about the motivations driving his continued incarceration.
Defending the renewed appeal of clemency for Kanu, former Abia State Deputy Governor and Senate caucus spokesperson, Enyinnaya Abaribe, told newsmen, after visiting the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, that his detention has become disruptive and destructive to economic activities in the South East zone.
Abaribe argued that; “all the criminals and people going around causing mayhem in the South East have all said that it is because Mazi Nnamdi Kanu is being held. We know that this is not the truth; it is just that we have gotten to the point where people are now hijacking a legitimate call for his release and turning it into something that has led to the deaths and destruction of properties and so many other indescribable mayhems happening in the South East.
They sought an audience with the Attorney-General, knowing his office wields significant influence over the legal system. They requested that he convey their collective appeal to the President, stressing that Kanu’s release would greatly alleviate the tensions gripping the South East, a stance shared by all prominent regional leaders.
