Buhari may release Kanu *Ndigbo have no plans of exiting Nigeria – Iwuanyanwu

Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), may breathe the fresh air of freedom once again soon, if President Muhammadu Buhari, accedes to the a fresh request mounted by Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu, President General of Ohaneze Ndigbo Worldwide, who pushed harder on the issue for the umpteenth time on Thursday.

Nnamdi Kanu

A fortnight ago, the Igbo leader, used his appearance on The Morning Show, a breakfast programme on Arise Television, to appeal to President Muhammadu Buhari to grant Nnamdi Kanu his freedom, by ordering his unconditional release.

The appeal is coming against the backdrop of signals indicating the the IPOB leader would remain in detention till September this year, on the heels of the adjournment on Thursday of the legal entanglement between the Federal Government and Kanu, who has been in detention since 2021, by the Supreme Court.

The apex court had deferred hearing on Kanu’s appeal on the stay of execution ordered by the Court of Appeal, to its earlier judgement freeing him from the charges of terrorism and other crimes filed against him last year, and ordered his freedom, to September 14.

Iwuanyanwu, who spoke at Oguta LGA in Imo state on Thursday during the flag-off ceremony of the Oguta/Orashi dredging project, argued that Ndigbo, had no intention of seceding from Nigeria, but only agitating for “a fair share of what is due for them.”

He added: “Igbo is happy. Igbos are industrious and non-violent. We thank the President for the dredging of Oguta/Orashi river. It will open up economic opportunities for both Imo and Nigeria. I want to also appeal to the president to actualise the release of Nnamdi Kanu, as part of his parting gift to Ndigbo, now that his tenure is coming to an end on May 29.

“Contrary to what Nigerians think, Igbos have no intention to secede. We are major stakeholders in Nigeria’s economy and Nigeria is the only country we can all call our own.”

Kanu, who has been in detention since he was brought back from Kenya on June 19, 2021, was re-arraigned on an amended 15-count charge bordering on treasonable felony preferred against him by the federal government.

However, on April 8 2022, the judge struck out eight of the 15 counts in the charge, and in October, the court of appeal in Abuja, struck out the terrorism charges filed by the Federal Government.

But the government, apart from filing a stay of execution of the judgement, went on appeal before the Supreme Court challenging the judgement — and subsequently filed an amended charge at the apex court.