It’s Time To Free Nnamdi Kanu And Pacify The Igbos

By Chidi Matthew Nwachukwu

Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), has been in the custody of the Department of States Service (DSS) since June 29th, 2021, following his arrest in Kenya and eventual repatriation to Nigeria. Upon his arrest, news emanated of how he was apprehended in the East-African country, and it was reported that the 56-year-old separatist and political activist was actually kidnapped, blindfolded and bundled into a waiting aircraft, and flown to Nigeria.

During his first few days in the DSS custody, Kanu narrated to his lawyer, Aloy Ejimakor, the entire event that culminated in his arrest and repatriation to Nigeria. He stated that the people who “kidnapped” him had no connections with the Kenyan government, but were merely hired by the Nigerian government to do the shoddy job of “catching him” and handing him over to the Nigerian authorities. He also stated that he was subjected to excruciating torture for eight days, during which he was made to sit on the bare floor. He added that his captors later became gentle towards him after they had verified his identity and discovered that he was not the “Al-Shabaab terrorist leader” he was said to be.

The Nigerian guys handling the kidnap stunt had told Kanu’s captors that he was an Al-Shabaab terrorist leader so that they would show no mercy in dealing with him. Kenya has long been terrorized by Al-Shabaab, a terrorist organization that mainly operates in East Africa, so, it was easy for the sponsors of the abduction to convince some overzealous Kenyan mercenaries to apprehend Kanu and torture him ruthlessly before handing him over to them.

For the record, this is not the first time that the Nigerian government would kidnap or attempt to kidnap a Nigerian citizen from a foreign country. Umaru Dikko’s kidnap of 1984 clearly comes to mind.

Over the past three years, Nnamdi Kanu has been in and out of court countless times in a bid to secure his freedom, but the Nigerian government has vehemently refused to let him off the hook. The charges brought against him were majorly treasonable felony, terrorism, unlawful possession of firearms, and management of an unlawful society.

And to sound the death knell to the legitimacy of Kanu’s IPOB, the Buhari-led administration labeled the group a terrorist organization and proscribed it in 2017, setting the tone for its eventual ostracism and rejection by Nigerians and even Igbos for whom it was supposedly fighting.

It didn’t come to many as a surprise that the Igbo elite and some indifferent Igbos outrightly rejected Kanu and his IPOB. The elites, particularly the politicians, felt that IPOB was established to attenuate their political grip on their constituencies and to undermine their efforts at forging an unbreakable hegemony around their political enclaves, while the indifferent Igbos felt that the IPOB phenomenon only served to destabilize the South-East as it would be used as a vehicle to foment trouble and instill disorderliness in the once peaceful region.

So, Kanu struggled for his freedom alone and only enjoyed the sympathy of his IPOB members and some few insignificant persons from around the country. Even Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe who stood for him as surety when he was first granted bail in 2017 was not as vocal in calling for his release this time as he was then. We noticed how the chain of lawyers who first represented Kanu in court after his arrest in 2021 gradually reduced to one or two, for reasons that are not unconnected with the perceived hopelessness and complexity of his case.

Before our very eyes, some persons who were also labeled separatists and trouble-makers were completely exonerated and allowed to go scot free. Repentant Boko Haram insurgents were easily pardoned and reintegrated into the society, despite the gravity of their crimes. But there was Kanu, languishing in the confines of the DSS detention facility even though there aren’t any real crimes linked to his person.

Kanu never bore arms nor did he physically assault or harm anyone. There is still no clear evidence that the criminals who go about causing trouble in the South-East are doing so on Kanu’s behest. Kanu only voiced out his dissatisfaction and disgust with the way Igbos are being treated in Nigeria, and then went on to call for the secession of the South-Eastern region from Nigeria.

So, by what ethos should Kanu be labeled a criminal and treated like one? We have recalcitrant clergy men and women in Nigeria who have incessantly incited rebellion and violence against Nigeria and Nigerians through their words and actions, but none of them has been invited for questioning, not to talk of having them jailed. Is that not glaringly the double standards that Kanu himself has often spoken against?

It was very worrisome and heartbreaking when on the 29th of June, 2021, Nigerians (particularly the Northerners) broke into joyful celebrations following the arrest of Nnamdi Kanu. On that day, it was as though the man who was responsible for Nigeria’s woes and failings had been apprehended, and that his capture would bring an end to all of Nigeria’s troubles.

Up till today, no one has been able to prove the rationale behind such meaningless celebration as the arrest of Kanu did not in any way change the fortunes of Nigerians, nor did it bring an end to all the perennial problems that have intractably bedeviled the Nigerian nation. Insecurity is still rife in Nigeria and is even worst in the Northern region which celebrated Kanu’s apprehension the most. The people of the South-West who also celebrated Kanu’s capture have since seen that their most-disturbing problems had nothing to do with Kanu. If anything, the troubles of that region even escalated after Kanu’s arrest. So, what exactly was the celebration about?

The LEADERSHIP newspaper’s editorial of 8th July, 2024 couldn’t have captured the call for the release of Nnamdi Kanu better. Part of the editorial’s thought-provoking observation reads;

“It is pertinent to stress that very few wars end on the battlefield. Kanu’s case can explore the wider precincts of natural justice and good conscience while the courts are on it.

“We disagree with the views of the Attorney-General of the Federation based on the fact that Sunday Igboho, his co-separatist agitator from the South-West, has since been forgiven his offence.

“Furthermore, other terrorists, many of whom killed Nigerians in their numbers as part of the agitation for a caliphate, have been ‘deradicalised’ and re-integrated into the civil society even as the loved ones of their victims, including soldiers, are left to mourn their loss in internally displaced persons (IDPs) camps.”

The above submission by LEADERSHIP newspaper is the most objective position I have read in a long while on the issue of Nnamdi Kanu’s unjust incarceration.

Nigeria is a multi-ethnic nation whose leaders should be very careful with how they handle the issues of ethnicity and religion. All the ethnic nationalities that together make up this large country have at one time or the other, agitated for equality and equity as part of the requirements for their comfortable stay in Nigeria. This goes to show that the handlers of the country have not done well in keeping its constituent nationalities satisfied.

Part of the problems elicited by Kanu’s unjust treatment is the unrest in the South-East which has had a very devastating impact on the economy of that region. The sit-at-home order imposed on the South-East by the leadership of IPOB is a form of protest against the unwarranted incarceration of Kanu, the highly-revered leader of the group. So, it will make common sense to say that the unconditional release of Kanu will definitely put an end to the hiccup in the South-East.

Aside from the call for Kanu’s unconditional release, there is also the agitation for the “de-marginalization” of the Igbos by Nigeria. The Igbos have been confined to the basest part of Nigeria’s stratification and treated like second-class citizens. This condemnable trend became the reality of the Igbos since after the civil war which was fought between 1967 and 1970.

It still baffles the Igbos and many other ethnic nationalities that despite their being a majority ethnic group in Nigeria, they are yet to produce a president through popular vote. The closest the Igbos have come to wielding real political power was the appointment of Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe as President at the wake of independence. Even at that, he was merely a ceremonial head of state as the then prime minister, Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, was the de facto leader of the country.

The next big thing that has ever happened to the Igbos politically was the appointment of Alex Ekwueme as Shehu Shagari’s vice president in 1979. Since then, the Igbos have only been wallowing in political wilderness as all their efforts to attain political dominance have been met with stiff resistance from the other majority ethnic nationalities in the country.

Perhaps, it is only an Igbo presidency that can redeem Nigeria as has been severally alluded to by former President Olusegun Obasanjo. The Igbos’ love for Nigeria cannot be denied, and it is for this reason that they will continue to work for the betterment of Nigeria.

Nwachukwu is a freelance journalist and media consultant. He can be reached through email on cmatencore86@gmail.com and on X (formerly Twitter) @Cmatencore

When igbos begin not to take part in any elections including presidency, they will sit up.

Ipob terrorists said that Nigeria will burn if Kanu is arrested, 3 years and counting, the only thing they are burning is their family houses. Cowards

HardBishop:
When igbos begin not to take part in any elections including presidency, they will sit up.

Lol too late
Intel has it; a new nation will be declared this year.
Obj has been running up and down secretly .
Wealthy looters are leaving the country secretly

HardBishop:
When igbos begin not to take part in any elections including presidency, they will sit up.

actually, WE MAY NOT PARTICIPATE IN 2027 ELECTIONS.

THE ENTIRE IGBO NATION MAY EXEMPT ITSELF FROM 2027 ELECTIONS NOT JUST BECAUSE OF KANU BUT BECAUSE WE WANT TO GO HOME AND BUILD OUR OWN NATION.

IT IS VERY CLEAR TO ALL AND SUNDRY THAT WE DONT BELONG HERE.

JAMO84:
Ipob terrorists said that Nigeria will burn if Kanu is arrested, 3 years and counting, the only thing they are burning is their family houses. Cowards

Look at the coward speaking himself…

Are you going to go and do the protest MR MAN lol

Protest Ni Protest Korrr

Igbos mean that Nigerians should overlook Kanu Nnamdi criminalities, incitement, supported killing, destruction, and terrorism. He should be treated like a hero for terrorizing the country and inciting violence

Free who? The man that thrives on chaos and division? Let’s not kid ourselves; pacifying the Igbos means confronting the very real threats he poses. Nnamdi Kanu is not the answer, he’s just another problem we don’t need.

The person that wrote this article needs to be held to the ground and his head cut off my one of Nnamdi Kanu's ESN dogs.

Broveens42:


Lol too late
Intel has it; a new nation will be declared this year.
Obj has been running up and down secretly .
Wealthy looters are leaving the country secretly

You must be getting this intel from radio Biafra the hdqrts of brain washing.

Ojiofor:


You must be getting this intel from radio Biafra the hdqrts of brain washing.

You can screenshot for reference

Burn the country down.... burn lagos down.... killed Tinubu.... killed fashola... Buhari is dead... he is Jubril from Sudan.

Broveens42:



You can screenshot for reference

I no dey screenshot nonsense.Who and who is in talks for Nigeria break up?
Ndi ipob sef.

Broveens42:


Lol too late
Intel has it; a new nation will be declared this year.
Obj has been running up and down secretly .
Wealthy looters are leaving the country secretly

IPOB stupidity is too much.

Chinkoalhaji34:
Free who? The man that thrives on chaos and division? Let’s not kid ourselves; pacifying the Igbos means confronting the very real threats he poses. Nnamdi Kanu is not the answer, he’s just another problem we don’t need.

Kanu is a great evil. He has not even apologised for his atrocities and cowards are calling for his release.
If Tinubu hate Igbos so much, he will just release Kanu and the whole igboland will be destroyed by evil that exudes from him.
Ka amadioha gbuchie Kanu uzọ, ma gbuo ndị niile na-akwado ya!

EmeeNaka:

Kanu is a great evil. He has not even apologised for his atrocities and cowards are calling for his release.
If Tinubu hate Igbos so much, he will just release Kanu and the whole igboland will be destroyed by evil that exudes from him.
Ka amadioha gbuchie Kanu uzọ, ma gbuo ndị niile na-akwado ya!

Amen

Freeing him won't pacify those that lost loved ones.

obiekunie01:


actually, WE MAY NOT PARTICIPATE IN 2027 ELECTIONS.

THE ENTIRE IGBO NATION MAY EXEMPT ITSELF FROM 2027 ELECTIONS NOT JUST BECAUSE OF KANU BUT BECAUSE WE WANT TO GO HOME AND BUILD OUR OWN NATION.

IT IS VERY CLEAR TO ALL AND SUNDRY THAT WE DONT BELONG HERE.

Why wait till 2027,you should start moving enmass now so that by 2027 we will know where you stand. But any attempt to occupy any part of the so called "ZOO" makes look like stupid.

HardBishop:
When igbos begin not to take part in any elections including presidency, they will sit up.

I understand that it’s your iPob,s opinion,your wish! But Nigerians take you upon,s as the country’s clown! No man born of a woman can stop Nnmadi Kanu from completing his 10years in jail!