Babatunji Wusu –
The head of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, has been begged to be released immediately by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu by the highest Igbo sociocultural group, Ohanaeze, so that the Southeast can celebrate Christmas and New Year’s festivities.
The body made the request on Thursday in response to remarks made by Chief of Defence Staff Christopher Musa, who stated that self-described Biafra agitator Simon Ekpa was undermining security personnel’s work in the Southeast.
The factional Secretary-General of Ohanaeze, Okechukwu Isisguzoro, signed a statement revealing that Kanu’s release will bring peace back to the area and eliminate the need for the Chief Defense Staff and Security Chiefs’ services to keep the peace.
Isisguzoro bemoaned how Fulani criminals and herders had terrorized the Southeast by taking advantage of the Biafra struggle.
The leading Igbo socio-cultural organization emphasized that since Nnamdi Kanu’s imprisonment, the Southeast has lost almost N42 trillion. It further stated that upon his release, the security threats that criminals have generated in the region by using his name as a cover will be eliminated.
As a revered political father of the country, President Tinubu is urged by Ohanaeze Ndigbo to take into account the hardships and tribulations of the people in the Southeast and free Nnamdi Kanu in time for them to celebrate Christmas and New Year’s Day in a calm and serene setting.
“The services of the Chief of Defense Staff and Security Chiefs to maintain peace will no longer be required in the Southeast if Nnamdi Kanu’s release brings peace back to the area.
The fact that Fulani herders and other criminals have terrorized the Southeast by taking advantage of the Biafra fight is depressing. The people of the Southeast have suffered unfairly at their hands. Ohanaeze Ndigbo is horrified that the security chiefs and chief of defense staff of Leru Umunneochi, Abia State, have not inquired about or made public the finding of more than seventy people who were cruelly murdered by herders operating out of the Lokpanta Cattle Market.
The operations of Fulani herders and criminals who use the name of the Biafra agitation as a cover are the main causes of insecurity concerns in the Southeast. More than 42 trillion naira had been lost by the Southeast since Nnamdi Kanu’s imprisonment and the Fulani herdsmen’s unlawful incursions during the Buhari government. Ohanaeze Ndigbo urges Tinubu to address the failings of the previous government that resulted in the Southeast’s current security issues.
“The people will feel comforted by Nnamdi Kanu’s release, and their confidence in the leadership’s dedication to the security and well-being of the Igbo people will be restored.”
