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By Madu Obi
An Igbo group, Igboezue International Association Nigeria and the Diaspora (IIAND), has called on President Bola Tinubu to release the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, Mazi Nnamdi Azikiwe unconditionally, arguing that doing so would end the insecurity in the South East geopolitical zone.
Addressing reporters in Onitsha, the national president of group, Chief Pius Okoye observed that the continued detention of the IPOB leader has continued to tension in the zone.
He said that the thinking was that President Tinubu would order the release of Kanu within the first two months in office, regretting that nine months after assuming office, the IPOB leader is still languishing in detention.
Okoye said: “Nnamdi Kanu’s release from detention is the number one key to the solution of insecurity in South East, and any government that does not see the need for the release of Mazi Kanu, does not want peace in South East and Nigeria in general.
"South East has never in its history witnessed the kind of insecurity like it has in recent time and it is attributable to the detention of Mazi Kanu.
“The continued detention of Nnamdi Kanu amounts to open hostility and hidden contempt with which the Nigerian state has been treating Ndigbo.
"Notable Igbo people had made calls and visits to the immediate past and present government in the country for the release of Mazi Kanu, but they were rebuffed, neglected and not respected.
"Some of the people who made the calls and visits had died, yet they were not respected by the Nigerian federal government with the release of Mazi Kanu, as they requested, at least to honour them.
“The likes of elder statesman and foremost nationalist, Chief Mbazulike Amachi, eminent former ambassador and immediate past President of Ohaneze Ndigbo, Prof. George Obiozor, former Governor of Anambra State, Dr Chukwuemeka Ezeife, eminent constitutional lawyer and former Secretary of Ohaneze Ndigbo, Prof Ben Nwabueze, made visits to former President Mohammadu Buhari in Abuja and Ebonyi State, for the release of Mazi Kanu, and incidentally they have all died, but their wish were not granted.
“This lack of respect of Igbo elder statesmen for the release of Mazi Kanu, is not acceptable. extended or tolerated by non Igbo. We are sure that if such calls were made by their eminent counterparts from other parts of the country, government would have listened to them and released the person they demanded for his release.
“There is no offense the president of the country cannot forgive concerning any citizen, if there is sincerity in the call for one Nigeria. "We call on President Tinubu to do the needful now. Nnamdi Kanu should not be allowed to die in detention. It will not be in the interest of Nigeria and the country will loose greatly if anything untoward happens to him in detention."
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