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• Ooni, Eze Aro debunk claim of disunity in Southern Traditional Rulers Council…
From Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja
A South-East traditional ruler, yesterday, demanded that President Bola Tinubu should either unconditionally release the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Mazi Nnamdi Kanu or deport him to Kenya, warning that his continued detention in Sokoto Correctional Centre was fuelling youth unrest across the region.
Eze Ogbunechendo of Ezema Olo Kingdom, Dr Lawrence Agubuzu, made the dramatic intervention during his goodwill message at the 2026 National Traditional and Religious Leaders Summit on Health, at the State House Conference Centre, Abuja. Themed, “The Role of Traditional and Religious Leaders in Advancing the Nigeria Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative,” the summit sought to galvanise community leaders toward health reforms, ending with a compact signing to enhance healthcare delivery nationwide.
Agubuzu hijacked the platform to spotlight Kanu’s plight, expressing personal anguish and accusing fellow monarchs of double standards. “We have come to Abuja today and we’ve seen the crowd. But I must tell you, Mr. President, that personally, I don’t feel very happy because you were not here in the morning. There were several speeches, and we listened carefully. I listened to the opening address by His Imperial Majesty, the Ooni of Ife and he was encouragring all of us to work as a family, as a team and to see Nigeria as one. This is good,” he said.
He then challenged the Ooni of being hypocritical over plans to honour Yoruba Nation agitator, Sunday Igboho, whom the South-East indigenes view as Kanu’s counterpart. “But, when you look at it, this same imperial majesty is arranging to confer a very high honour on Sunday Igboho, who, in my own part of Nigeria and the South East, is seen as Kanu’s counterpart. Oh, my brother, fellow royal father, the imperial majesty does not seem to understand the pain in my heart when Nnamdi Kanu is in Sokoto. So sad, the ball stops in your court. Bring this man out. If we don’t want him in Nigeria, return him to Kenya or London, where they took him from,” Agubuzu insisted.
He painted a grim picture of the South-East youths’ volatility, warning traditional rulers of personal peril. “You see, some of us here are being asked to go and work, but the young people in the South East are so agitated they can even beat us. They see us as sellouts. We come to Abuja, they may think we’ve come to collect money and then keep quiet. So sad. Please do something about this. We cannot make progress in this country if we don’t tell ourselves the truth. There’s no way,” he lamented.
He also dismissed the notion of a unified Southern Traditional Rulers Council, urging direct engagement with regional bodies. “The truth of the matter is that there is nothing like a Southern Traditional Rulers Council. The South is not the North. We have our system. We need unity in diversity. So, if you want to deal with us, deal with us in the South East. If you have resources for us, give it to us. Don’t give it to people who come and say they represent a traditional rulers council,” he advised.
Kanu, 58 and founder of IPOB proscribed as a terrorist organisation faces life imprisonment following Justice James Omotosho’s November 20, 2025 conviction on seven terrorism counts. His legal odyssey includes a 2015 treason arrest, 2017 bail jump, controversial 2021 rendition from Kenya, a Court of Appeal discharge order and a Supreme Court reversal, leaving him without private counsel amid ongoing appeals.
In response, the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi Ojaja II, defended unity in the council, dismissing the division claim by Agubuzu, emphasising the summit’s historic unity while sidestepping the Igboho-Kanu comparison. “We have never experienced such a summit to bring faith leaders and traditional leaders from all walks of life together to address the health issues of our country. It’s never been done before in Nigeria. It’s a very vast summit and the takeaway is the need to partner with political leaders and institutions to get the best for our citizenry,” he stated.
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The Ooni underscored Southern Traditional Rulers’ cohesion, rebutting Agubuzu’s claims. “For us, we, the Southern Traditional Rulers, have come together to continue to support the belief. The Southern Traditional Rulers Council is very optional. You don’t need to join us if you don’t want to, but it is a force, a formidable force, among traditional institutions. We don’t want any impression that there’s division.
We don’t want to take out the South East. We have Eze here, he is one of our very prominent traditional rulers in the South East,” he affirmed, urging focus on substantive issues over rumours.
Dr. Eberechukwu Kanu Oji Eberechukwu, Eze Aro IX of Arochukwu Kingdom, Abia State, and Publicity Secretary of the Southern Nigerian Traditional Rulers Council, defended the body’s existence and activities.
“The Southern Nigerian Traditional Rulers Council is a movement, a journey, comprising members from across the entire southern part of Nigeria. The Ooni is our chairman. We have the co-chair here from the South East. The President was part of the inauguration of the Southern Nigerian Traditional Rulers Council. It happened in Oyo and we had representatives from both the press, the government and stakeholders at that inauguration.”
Eze Aro highlighted the ongoing momentum, saying, “Since that inauguration, the Southern Nigerian Traditional Rulers Council has been active. We have had our AGM, which took place in Ogun State. We have undertaken several activities together. The Southern Nigerian Traditional Rulers Council exists. The Southern Nigerian Traditional Rulers Council is united, with traditional rulers and royal fathers from across the entire southern Nigeria, all represented here.” He congratulated Tinubu on the summit, calling it “the first of its kind” poised for growth.
The Council operates under a clear leadership hierarchy, with the Ooni of Ife serving as its permanent chairman, anchoring a structure designed to foster unity across Nigeria’s 17 southern states.
Co-chairmen are Obi Cletus Ilomuanya, Obi of Obinugwu Kingdom in Orlu, Imo State, representing the South East and King Dandeson Jaja, Amanyanabo of Opobo Kingdom in Rivers State, covering the South-South.
Inaugurated by President Tinubu on July 30, 2024, in Owerri, the council embodies the motto: “Togetherness, Strength and Progress,” drawing royal fathers from the South East, South-South and South West to promote cultural synergy, peace and development.
