‘Nnamdi Kanu’s Release Will Restore Peace In South-east’

The Nigerian government has again been advised to release leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, for restoration of peace in South-east region.

Kanu’s continued detention by the Department of State Services (DSS) since 2021 when he was brought back to Nigeria under controversial circumstance has fuelled agitations by IPOB members and other supporters, leading to enforcement of sit-at-home orders, especially on Mondays.

The sit-at-home which is used as instrument of protest against Kanu’s incarceration, has led to security tension, economic loses and also that of human lives as the agitators continue to enforce it on residents in the five South-east states.

Residents of the region were on Monday, 21st and Tuesday, 22nd October, forced to observe sit-at-home. An unidentified man who made the declaration on social media had claimed that Biafran forces were going to display their newly acquired armored tanks and urged residents to stay indoors in those days to avoid casualties.

The development generated panic and disrupted economic activities as people remained at home in compliance with the order.

Speaking in an interview on Channels Television Morning Brief on Thursday, Henry Mbachu, a member representing Akwa South state constituency in the Anambra State House of Assembly, said sit-at-home was initially introduced organically by the people in the region without any enforcement to protest marginalization and the detention of Kanu, but was hijacked by the bad elements when the government attempted to resist it.

He said the only way to restore peace in South-east is to grant Kanu unconditional release.

According to Mbachu, once Kanu is released the Monday’s sit-at-home would stop and all those hiding under it to commit crimes such as arson, theft, killings, armed robbery and kidnappings would be dealt with.

“I think that If Nnamdi Kanu comes out and says sit-at-home is over, any other person that you see that enforces sit-at-home, can be dealt with as a criminal,” Mbachu stated.

The lawmaker said Southeast governors, and other political elites are not doing enough to end the crisis in the region.

READ ALSO: Again, South-east Economy Grounded As IPOB Faction Imposes Sit-at-home 

While noting that the role of the government so far is to encourage citizens to come out during the sit-at-home days, he, however, pointed out that the approach is wrong. He said government’s failure to provide adequate security has made people unwilling to start coming out.

He said South-east governors and other political leaders are not doing enough to end the crisis in the region. He said there is need for cohesion among political elites in the region to resolve the crisis.

He advised that state governments in South-east should shun publicity about efforts to stop Sit-at-home. He pointed out that observance of Monday’s sit-at-home in South-east, had drastically dropped, especially in Anambra but was resurrected by the order of the state governor Prof Chukwuma Soludo. Soludo had upon assumption of office in 2022, ordered that all civil servants in the state must resume work on Mondays and shun the sit-at-home orders. The directive by the governor was said to have irked the agitators who resumed enforcement.

Speaking on the programme, Commissioner for Information in Anambra State, Law Mefor, said Governor Soludo’s move to end sit-at-home in the state and by extension the entire region does not mean he is insensitive to the reason it was declared in the first place.

Mefor noted that the state governor is seriously concerned about Southeast crisis and has been calling for the release of Nnamdi Kanu. He recalled that Soludo had once visited Kanu at DSS facility in Abuja and spoke about the need for his release.

He also stated that Kanu’s release would restore peace in South-east.

He expressed concerns about economic implications of sit-at-home in South-east, adding that it was what informed Soludo’s  decision take steps in ending it in Anambra.

Mefor emphasised the need for more collaborative efforts by South-east political leaders to secure the release of Kanu, not just only the governors.

“The efforts to bring out Nnamdi Kanu have to be better orchestrated. We want the members of the National Assembly to join the governors, they need to form a team, and they shouldn’t leave it to the governors alone. They must join forces; they shouldn’t wait in the wing for the governors to succeed in it. Doing so will be atavistic. They are not helping the security situation in the South-east,” Mefor stated.