Release Nnamdi Kanu

The demand for the release of the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, has taken an all-encompassing dimension with 50 members of the House of Representatives across political parties and the six geo-political zones seeking the intervention of President Bola Tinubu for Kanu’s freedom. The action by the lawmakers is laudable and requires urgent attention.

The appeal was contained in a three-page letter signed by the lawmakers, dated June 19, 2024, and addressed to the President. The lawmakers, who acted under the aegis of Concerned Federal Lawmakers for Peace and Security in the South East, specifically appealed to the President to invoke Section 174 of the Constitution of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended) and Section 107(1) of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, 2015, for the release of the leader of the IPOB from detention.

The signatories to the letter include Obi Aguocha (Abia), Ikenga Ugochinyere (Imo), Aliyu Mustapha (Kaduna), Midala Balami (Borno), Afam Ogene (Anambra), Abiante Awaji-Inombek (Rivers), Dominic Okafor (Anambra), Etanabene Benedict (Delta), Shehu Dalhatu (Katsina), Chinedu Emeka Martins (Imo), Matthew Nwogu (Imo), Muhammed Buba Jagere (Yobe), Peter Aniekwe (Anambra), Koki Sagir (Kano), Amobi Oga (Abia), Gwacham Chinwe (Anambra), Uchenna Okonkwo (Anambra), Abdulmaleek Danga (Kogi), Osi Nkemkama (Ebonyi), and others.

In the letter, the lawmakers urged Tinubu to mandate the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, to invoke his powers of nolle prosequi under the provisions of Section 174(1) of the Constitution and Section 107(1) of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, 2015, and cause the release of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu from detention and discontinue his trial.

They recalled that the President had at a time extended this gesture through the office of the Attorney General to activist Omoyele Sowore, who was charged with treasonable felony. “Moreover, we, as key actors in the renewed hope agenda of Your Excellency, are not unmindful of the fact that Your Excellency has extended this gesture through the office of the Attorney General in the charge involving Omoyele Sowore, wherein he was charged with treasonable felony in Charge No. FHC/ABJ CR/235/2019, Sunday Igboho, and others,” the lawmakers stated.

The lawmakers believe that freeing Kanu from detention will help ease the atmosphere of violence and restiveness that has plagued the South-East region and create room for the much-needed economic growth and development. Doing so, they added, would also set a precedent for addressing issues through dialogue rather than the prolonged political and judicial processes.

“Facilitating the release of Nnamdi Kanu would demonstrate a commitment to upholding the principles of justice and fairness, which are the bedrock of our democracy,” the lawmakers stressed. The move would pave the way for peace initiatives, economic revitalisation, and a renewed sense of belonging to the people of the South-East.

The demand by the lawmakers is in tandem with similar pleas to the President by the apex Igbo socio-cultural organisation, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in the 2023 general election, Peter Obi, and other well-meaning Nigerians. Apart from Kanu, the former Anambra State governor has called for the release of other detainees with similar cases.

We commend the bold initiative by the lawmakers. No doubt, they meant well for the country and the South East region. Since June 2021, Kanu has been in detention at the Department of State Services (DSS) for charges bordering on terrorism, when he was repatriated from Kenya to Nigeria. His incarceration has caused untold political and social dislocation in the South East. Within the period, the region has remained a theatre of violence and restiveness with his supporters employing different strategies to press for his release.

One of such measures is the weekly sit-at-home order, which takes place every Monday across the region. The first of the directives was issued by the IPOB on August 9, 2021, to prevail on the federal government to release him. Each time such an order is issued, markets, schools, banks, motor parks and even worship centres remain closed and vehicles are withdrawn from the roads, either out of fear of imminent danger or in solidarity to the cause.

Despite the reported relaxation of the order by the IPOB high command, renegades in the organisation and others sympathetic to the cause have continued to enforce it in some parts of the South-East region with attendant violence, killings and utter lawlessness. According to reports, Anambra State alone losses over N19 billion any day the exercise takes place. Other states in the region have their own tales of woe on such occasions.

We believe that releasing Kanu will go a long way in moderating the tempo of agitation and insecurity in the zone. Moreover, the detained IPOB leader has expressed his readiness to negotiate with the federal government over his case. President Tinubu should consider the request by the lawmakers and use the release of Kanu to begin the healing process of the fractured nation. It will also signal the beginning of moves to address the injustice against the South East’s people by the federal government.

We believe that Kanu must have learnt enough lessons from his incarceration. Therefore, releasing him will be a fence-mending exercise by the government. Let the President seize this golden opportunity with both hands and release him.