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From Magnus Eze, Enugu
Association of South East Town Unions (ASETU) has said the freedom of Kanu, is key to return of peace in the South East.
According to the group, also known as Igbo Town Unions, the release of the separatist campaigner will end the incessant sit-at-home calls with the attendant crippling of economic and social lives in the region.
ASETU, therefore, appealed to President Muhammadu Buhari to use his prerogative of mercy and free the detained IPOB leader.
Daily Sun learnt that the resolution to, once again, beg the president for Kanu’s release was reached at an emergency extra-ordinary national caucus meeting of ASETU in Awka, Anambra State, on May 20, 2022.
In an open letter to the president, signed by its National President, Emeka Diwe; National Secretary, Gideon Adikwuru; Chairman, Board of Trustees, I. I. Onwubuya, and presidents general of town unions in the five South East states, ASETU said the Federal Government had previously deployed amnesty in resolving issues.
However, it appealed to Igbo sons and daughters to maintain peace and good neighbourliness wherever they lived while waiting patiently and hopefully for the president’s positive response to the passionate appeal.
ASETU said: “We passionately appeal to President Buhari to extend his milk of human kindness to Ndi Igbo in this most trying period and abate the continued loss of innocent souls and the destruction of the South East economy by applying a political solution and using his prerogative of presidential amnesty to release Kanu from detention.
“As the father of all, may we remind him of the Igbo adage that says: ‘If a father beats his child with the left hand, he draws him back with the right hand’.
“Also, an axiom in criminal justice administration advocates that ‘it is better to release 100 condemned criminals than punish one single innocent soul’.
“The continued detention of one man (Kanu) has caused the death of so many innocent lives and destruction of properties worth billions of naira. If releasing him will stop the killings, and the ‘sit-at-home’ orders as claimed, what do we lose by trying this option to save further lives and property. It is a costless benefit of doubt. We assure Mr. President that releasing him will not worsen the security situation, rather it will bring enduring peace and eliminate or reduce drastically, the killings. Our leadership is grassroots based and we feel the heartbeat of the people more.
“Let us not over-stretch the logic and legality of his ‘offence’ and resultant trial as that may lead us to unending circles of justifications, including the claimed primary cause of the anger of Igbo youths, which is the obvious and unwarranted marginalization of Ndigbo (which is, indeed, our collective agitation).
“However, while we are not justifying his approach in pursuit of that cause, we are saying in the interest of peace and the remaining lives of our people, especially the youths (our future generation), let Kanu be released to us and let us talk thereafter.”
