President-general of the Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu, yesterday said the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, is angry about the killing of soldiers in the South East.
He stated this after he visited Kanu, who is in the custody of the Department of State Service (DSS).
Iwuanyanwu, who led some top leaders of the Ohanaeze to the visit, also appealed to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to explore political means to ensure Kanu’s acquittal of all charges against him and immediate release.
Some soldiers were killed in Abia State yesterday following the declaration of sit at home by IPOB. IPOB earlier this month announced that there would be a sit-at-home on 30 May across the South-East to mark their Biafra Day, which is celebrated annually.
IPOB’s spokesperson, Emma Powerful, said in a statement that the celebration was intended to remember IPOB members who died in “the fight for freedom.”
But, a statement from Iwuanyanwu’s media team shortly after the visit yesterday quoted him as saying the IPOB leader said he was against the killing of the soldiers in the South East.
He quoted Kanu as saying that stopping the West African Examination Council (WAEC) exams is unnecessary and must stop.
According to Iwuanyanwu, “Kanu asked me to tell Nigerians that he is against the killing of some Soldiers in the South East today, as well as other killings being reported in some parts of Igboland.
He is totally against the destruction of lives and properties going on. He also said that stopping our children from taking their WAEC exams is unnecessary and must stop.”
However, Iwuanyanwu urged President Tinubu to adopt a political solution to secure Kanu’s release, adding that all the courts he has been tried in have found him not guilty.
The Ohanaeze president-general wondered why Kanu should remain in detention even when other freedom fighters who have worse cases have been set free.
He shared his thoughts on the need for restructuring the nation: “Nnamdi Kanu, like many other Nigerian children, has expressed their disappointment because they believe they lack opportunities, they believe there is discrimination, and they feel that things are not going how they should go.
“So, not only Nnamdi Kanu has asked for Nigeria’s restructuring. Let’s go back to history and see that we have been discussing restructuring this country because it has failed to work. This move was made by Adaka Borro from the Niger Delta, who was later conscripted into the Nigerian Army. So, it is all about making Nigeria work, and that has to be done before all this agitation stops,” he said.
