The Igbo Elders Consultative Forum has appealed to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to release Nnamdi Kanu, the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), as a final gesture of national reconciliation in honour of late former President Muhammadu Buhari.
Reacting to Buhari’s death, the Forum extended its condolences but used the moment to highlight what it described as the late president’s legacy of injustice and marginalisation, particularly in the Southeast.
Speaking with DAILY GAZETTE in a telephone interview on Tuesday, the Forum’s Secretary General, Prof. Charles Nwekeaku, emphasized that Kanu’s continued detention even after several court rulings in his favour remains a symbol of unresolved grievances in the region.
Kanu’s legal battle dates back to October 2015, when he was first arrested under Buhari’s administration on charges of treasonable felony stemming from his advocacy for the secession of the Southeast.
The arrest sparked widespread protests across the region.
Although he was granted bail in April 2017 on health grounds, a raid by security operatives on his residence in September of that year forced him to flee the country.
His bail was subsequently revoked.
The most contentious development came in June 2021 when Kanu was captured abroad and returned to Nigeria.
The Federal Government later confirmed that he had been taken from Kenya under unclear circumstances. Human rights groups and legal experts widely criticised the operation as an illegal rendition.
In October 2022, the Court of Appeal in Abuja dismissed eight out of fifteen charges and ruled that Kanu could not be tried on the remaining charges due to the illegality of his extradition.
It ordered his release, citing violations of international and domestic laws.
Despite this, the Federal Government appealed the decision and, in December 2023, the Supreme Court overturned the earlier ruling and ordered Kanu to stand trial.
Prof. Nwekeaku believes President Tinubu now has a chance to foster national healing where his predecessor failed.
“Our elder, 93-year-old Chief Mbazulike Amaechi, first Republican minister, pleaded that Nnamdi Kanu should be released by the federal government as a birthday gift to him, but he was denied,” he said.
“As Christians, we are not happy that our former president died. He served Nigeria twice. Many times. First, as a Head of State, he later served as governor. He served as board chairman.
He also served as chairman of the Petroleum Trust Fund and then came back and served as a civilian president.
“I think Nigerians have actually lost a great leader. May God grant his soul a rest. Although for those of us from the southeast, we know that under his administration, we were punished for no just cause,” he added.
Prof. Nwekeaku also pointed to what he described as deliberate regional exclusion under Buhari’s administration.
“You can imagine, under his administration, the federal government took a $22.7 billion foreign loan for a rail line in the country, and the Southeast was excluded from that project. We know that in many appointments, Southeast was excluded.”
He reiterated that Tinubu could signal a new chapter by granting Kanu freedom one that embraces fairness and inclusivity.
