By Kolawole Ojebisi
The apex Igbo socio-cultural organisation, Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide has appealed to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to grant a political pardon to the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu.
The organisation made this appeal public during an interview granted to journalists in Awka, the capital of Anambra State on Tuesday, by the Vice-President of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, Chief Damian Okeke-Ogene.
Okeke-Ogene who spoke on behalf of the body made the appeal in the course of a ceremony organized to mark Nigeria’s freedom from colonial rule 64 years ago.
Recall that Kanu has been held in the custody of the Department of State Services in Abuja since his extradition from Kenya in 2021. Okeke-Ogene stressed that Kanu’s release is a recipe for the return of peace and sanity to the chaotic South-Eastern region.
He noted that the release of the detained IPOB leader would promote peace, facilitate the identification of perpetrators of violence in the South-East, and ultimately end the troubling sit-at-home orders prevalent in the region.
“Our major demand in this year’s Independence Day celebration is for the President to use the joy attached to the day to grant political pardon to one of our sons and the leader of IPOB, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, from DSS detention,” he stated.
“Ohanaeze believes in Nigeria’s democracy, and we strongly believe that the release of Nnamdi Kanu will restore total peace and unity for all Nigerians residing in Igbo land.”
Stressing on the importance of collaboration between stakeholders in the region and at the national level for the return of peace and tranquility.”
Okeke-Ogene advocated for the enhancement of the region’s security architecture and a holistic improvement of the welfare of its people by the governors of the South East.
The Ohanaeze leader said the task of returning peace to the South-East should not be entrusted in the hands of political actors on the national level alone.
Okeke-Ogene called on Tinubu to take urgent action that would bring joy to millions of Nigerians grappling with insecurity, hunger, and other socio-economic challenges, lamenting that the country continues to develop at a slow pace.
