Nnamdi Kanu to spend 4th Christmas in DSS custody? Here’s Ohaneze’s appeal
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The indigenous people of Ndigbo, Ohaneze, have appealed to the federal government to release Maazi Nnamdi Kanu.
This call was made by the German envoy and director of the German Initiative for Knowledge Transfer eV, Hon. Obinna Ichita.
He said, “I appeal to President Bola Tinubu to kindly intervene and graciously approve and direct the activation of a process that will see to the release of Mazi Kanu and the restoration of peace and security in South-East through negotiation and alternative dispute resolution mechanisms.”
He went further to say that Nnamdi Kanu’s release will not only portray the President as a unifier, but it will ultimately showcase Nigeria as another example of Africans solving their problems without “external directives.
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The President General of Ohaneze, Mr. Chukwu Fidelis, during his inaugural meeting with the National Executive Committee (NEC) of Ndigbo on Sunday in Enugu State, said, “The release of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu is a moral burden on the federal government.”
The Ohanaeze leader further stated that there is no “sufficient reason” for the prolonged detention of Mr. Kanu by the DSS.
Mr. Chukwu promised to collaborate with other Igbo leaders in government to secure the release of the IPOB leader.
What to know about Nnamdi Kanu
Nnamdi Okwu Kanu was born on 25 September 1967. He hails from Isiama Afara Ukwu, Umuahia, Abia State.
Kanu is an ardent contender against the marginalisation of Ndigbo.
He followed the footsteps of Ojukwu, the then Biafra leader who led Ndigbo to war against the Nigerian government during the Gowon administration.
Nnamdi Kanu continued the fight for Biafra by investing in both local and international discussion on the issue. He founded Biafra Radio and a newspaper that aids the spread of his mandate for Biafra’s secession.
However, in 2015, the IPOB leader was arrested in Lagos and accused of “instigating violence, especially in Southeastern Nigeria, that resulted in the loss of lives and property of civilians, military, paramilitary, and police forces and destruction of civil institutions and symbols of authorities.”
Since then, he has been in and out of DSS custody.
The Federal Government filed an amended 15-count charge of terrorism and treasonable felony against Mister Kanu in 2021. He was arraigned in July 2021 after being extradited from Kenya.
Speaking on his re-arrest and extradition, former Attorney General and Minister of Justice Abubakar Malami said, “Self-acclaimed leader of the proscribed secessionist Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, has been intercepted through the collaborative efforts of Nigerian intelligence and security services.
However, on 19th March 2024, Kanu’s lawyer appealed for bail, but the Federal High Court in Abuja rejected the appeal but instead granted an accelerated hearing under the trial judge, Justice Binta Nyako.
By the end of this year, if not released, Nnamdi Kanu would have spent four Christmas and New Year celebrations in DSS custody since his detention in 2021.
