The highest Igbo socio-political group, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, has asked the Federal Government to release the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu, as a Christmas gift for the South-East region.
Damian Okeke-Ogene, Vice-President, Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, made this request on behalf of the group on Sunday, adding that anything short of Kanu’s release meant the people of the South-East had lost hope this Christmas.
Ohanaeze’s call comes ahead of the December 15, 2023, Supreme Court decision in the Federal Government’s case against Kanu.
Okeke-Ogene denounced as false assertions that important Igbo people, including governors of the region, were behind Kanu’s extended detention.
He said, “We don’t want to dwell much on the politics about the release of Kanu. If he is released on December 15, it is long overdue because competent courts of jurisdiction have on two occasions found him not guilty and also released him, but till now, nothing was done about it.
“So, we hope that the Supreme Court will equally do justice to it with the expectation that every Igbo man is expecting that President Bola Tinubu should know that the money and lives being wasted on the issue are not worth it. And he should, therefore, set the man free as a Christmas gift to the South-East if he truly wants peace to return to the region.”
He chastised the Federal Government for its unwillingness to work with the government of Finland to address the issue of IPOB’s autopilot arm, led by Simon Ekpa, who is widely regarded as fueling unrest in the region in the name of agitation.
Meanwhile, before the Supreme Court ruling, IPOB’s Media and Publicity Secretary, Emma Powerful, expressed worry about Justice Tsammani Haruna’s appointment to the Supreme Court.
In a statement made on Sunday, Powerful alleged that Justice Haruna’s promotion was a reward for keeping Kanu in Department of State Services, DSS, custody without charge.
