- The IPOB leader has been in the custody of the Department of State Services (DSS) since he was extradited from Kenya in June 2021
- The south-east region has witnessed an uptick in the activities of gunmen who violently enforce a sit-at-home order on Mondays to demand Kanu’s release.
The South-East Council of Traditional Rulers has urged the federal government to release Nnamdi Kanu, a move that would bring widespread jubilation to the region.
Kanu, the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), has been detained by the Department of State Service (DSS) since his extradition from Kenya in June 2021 on charges of treasonable felony.
At a forum hosted by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Sunday, Council Chairman Samuel Asadu made the appeal, noting that the council supports the increasingly vocal calls for Kanu’s release from regional leaders and the general public.
“He is our son, he has been there for a long time, inspite of the ups and down with the judiciary,” he said.
“Off course, we back the governors forum and other stakeholders’ call for his release so that tension will be reduced.
“We before that the government will do its due diligence to ensure that people are guaranteed that the release won’t go beyond what is expected. There should be some form of measures, a deal to be made.”
The chairman of the council said that Kanu’s release would bring a sense of tranquility and delight to the people of the region, greatly improving the situation.
“If the president looks into that and gives him a pardon,we will be excited. It is affecting our area, because his absence. Some of the people are his die hard fans,” Asadu said.
“So, who will want to have his son locked up for a long time, of course we are praying every day, all the traditional rulers are praying for Nnamdi Kanu to be released.
“We feel his pains and the pain of his family. It will be a gift, if the President does that. We will come back to thank him in a big way.”