The South-East Council of Traditional Rulers has appealed to President Bola Tinubu to direct the release of Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), from detention.
Kanu has been held by the Department of State Services (DSS) since his extradition from Kenya in 2021 on charges of treason.
At a forum organized by NAN in Abuja on Sunday, the council’s chairman, Samuel Asadu, argued that Kanu’s release would help reduce tension in the country.
“He [Kanu] is our son. He has been there for a long time inspite of the ups and down with the judiciary,” Asadu said.
“Off course, we back the governors forum and other stakeholders’ call for his release so that tension will be reduced.
“We hope that the government will do its due diligence to ensure that people are guaranteed that the release won’t go beyond what is expected.”
Asadu said Kanu’s release would reduce the violent attacks and insecurity in the south-east geopolitical zone.
“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.
“Who will want to have his son locked up for a long time? Of course 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.”
Recall that there has been growing calls for Kanu’s release in recent monts, particularly from stakeholders in the south-east region.
In June, 50 members of the house of representatives asked Tinubu to order Kanu’s release.
On July 2, the South-east Governors’ Forum resolved to meet with the president to seek the release of the separatist leader.
On July 3, senators from the geopolitical zone met with Lateef Fagbemi, attorney-general of the federation and minister of justice, over Kanu’s release.
On July 23, the minority caucus in the house of representatives also joined calls for the release of Kanu.
The south-east region has also witnessed an uptick in the activities of gunmen who violently enforce a sit-at-home order on Mondays to demand Kanu’s release.
