The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has accused some politicians of trying to frustrate the release of its leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, from detention.
This is coming after governors of the South East, in their meeting on Monday, unanimously called on President Bola Tinubu to free Kanu.
It also came on the same day senators of the region met with the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, and called on the federal government to release Kanu, just as 50 members of the House of Representatives earlier requested.
In a press state on Tuesday, IPOB said that even when pressure is mounting on government to free Kanu, in line with his discharge and acquittal by the Court of Appeal on October 13, 2022, some people are working against this.
The IPOB statement by Spokesman Emma Powerful, said the organisation’s M-Branch revealed that some politicians tried to persuade South East governors not to support the quest for the release of Kanu from DSS solitary confinement.
The statement said: “We wish to inform those working against the release of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu to beware because we know of their secret meetings and discussions against MNK. If they continue with their sabotage, their names will be made public soon.
“Also, some of the political jobbers in the South East Region working against the unconditional release of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu should know that we are following the activities closely. The unscrupulous individuals hold secret meetings with South East governors to frustrate the clarion call of the release of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, who incidentally is the only political prisoner in Nigeria currently.
“We warn those sabotaging the unconditional release of our leader to stop provoking IPOB. The saboteurs should know that nothing happens in the South East Region without IPOB getting the intel ahead of time. Those Igbo involved in this dastardly act to frustrate the release of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu should retrace their steps quickly.”
IPOB said that Kanu did not commit any crime but being “detained illegally for more than three years by the Nigerian government after he was kidnapped in Kenya and extraordinarily renditioned to Nigeria in violation of international extradition laws.
Accordingto IPOB, “Mazi Nnamdi Kanu’s continuous detention is a gross violation of the Appeal Court judgment and a slap on Ndigbo’s face as a race.
“IPOB understands that the Nigeria government has no case against Mazi Nnamdi Okwu Kanu. He must be released unconditionally according to the judgment of the Appeal Court. The continuous illegal detention of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu is discrimination against Ndigbo.
“The Nigerian government has dropped cases and charges against political prisoners from other ethnic groups but kept only Mazi Nnamdi Kanu in their detention because he is an Igbo man. Does it not mean that Ndigbo mean nothing in Nigeria?”
