WRITTEN BY GORDI UDEAJAH
South East Igbo elders under the aegis of Igbo Elders Forum ( IEF ) yesterday trooped to Abia state government House, Umuahia, the state capital to re- press the federal government of president Bola Ahmed Tinubu, for the release of the leader of the Indigenous People Of Biafra ( IPOB) Mazi Nnamdi Kanu from his close to four years detention.
They decried Kanu’s continued detention and prosecution despite various calls by persons, groups, organizations including courts at different levels nationally and internationally.
While the leader of the Igbo Elders delegation Nze Ndudim Echebiri told the Abia state governor Dr Alex Otti at the government house gate that their mission was to press for the release of Kanu to enable peace and progress and security to return and prevail in the South East and Nigeria, their Spokesman, Engineer Emeka Ezebuiro said ” we are here to plead with you ( Otti ) and other south east states governors to jointly plead with president Bola Tinubu led federal government to release Kanu”.
They urged governor Otti who was spoken for by Secretary to the state government Professor Kenneth Kalu and his Chief of Staff Dr Caleb Ajegba stressing that the release of Kanu would engender peace, progress, security , equity and total justice in the country.
They expressed concern that the detained IPOB Leader ( Kanu ) has reportedly been denied medical treatment by hospital/doctors of his choice.
Another delegate argued that hence the federal government negotiated with confirmed Bandits and Terrorists , they ( FG ) should do same with Kanu who did not use weapons but spoke his mind on national issue
In the absence of governor Otti, the SSG ( Prof Kalu) who commended their peaceful protest despite their obvious anger over certain happenings in the country especially Kanu’s continued detention, assured that their message will be delivered to governor Otti’s attention.
The IPOB leader, Mazi Kanu was abducted in Kenya and extraordinarily renditioned to Nigeria in June, 2021, and has since then been detained at the DSS Facility and being tried for various criminal charges.
In spite of that some courts had acquitted him of some of these charges, Kanu has neither been released or granted bail till date despite his applications for same.
