By Adadareporters
The need to release Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, from the custody of the DSS took the centre stage at the 2023 Igbo Day celebration going on in Enugu.
Kanu is being held at the custody of the DSS since 2021 after he was forcefully renditioned from Kenya to Nigeria in a manner Nigeria’s Appeal Court described as ‘extra-ordinary rendition’. The same court acquitted and discharged Kanu, but FG did not abide by the verdict.
Engr Arthur Eze, who is the chairman of the occasion, urged Ohanaeze to positively engage FG for Kanu’s release.
Eze said, “It is necessary that the leadership of Ohanaeze should positively engage the federal government for the release of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu whose reported health condition attracts huge sympathy. Indeed, no number of meetings with the federal government or political consultations on the matter will be too much.”
Also speaking, the national president of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu, said freeing Kanu is among the top agenda of the pan-Igbo group.
He said, “Ohanaeze has carefully studied Nnamdi Knau’s case and we cannot find any just reason why he cannot be released. Ohanaeze has for several months pleaded with FG to release him. I hereby once again, on behalf of Ohanaeze, make the appeal to the FG to release Kanu more so when courts of competent jurisdiction in Nigeria have declared him innocent.
“It pains me when, as a father, my children are killed on daily bases. It pains me when most of them have both their lives and livelihood destroyed. We need a non-kinetic approach. I strongly believe that if Kanu is released and a non-kinetic approach adopted, we will be able to reduce and even stop the unnecessary killings and destruction of lives and property.”
The event is being attended by all the states of South East and Rivers.
Among those in attendance are Gov Peter Mbah of Enugu State; Gov Chukwuma Soludo of Anambra State, Gov Hope Uzodimma represented by his deputy, Prof Placid Njoku, and Ebonyi deputy governor. Also present are former foreign affairs minister, Geoffrey Onyeama; wife of Biafran warlord, Amb Bianca Ojukwu; Anglican bishop of Enugu, Dr Emmanuel Chukwuma, Dr Chris Ngige, Sentir Adolphus Wabara, among others.
The national publicity secretary of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, organisers of the event, Dr Alex Ogbonnia, had said the event was to mark the pogrom of September 29, 1966 in the aftermath of the Jan 15 1966 military, which killed many Igbo sons and daughters especially in the north. He said it was to celebrate the triumph of Ndigbo despite the sad event.
Quoting him, “We celebrate that we passed through the valley of the shadow of death and bounced back in splendour; passed through the belly of the whale; traversed turmoil and hell and bounced back in glory.
“We celebrate the courage, tenacity and adaptability to live and thrive in all parts of the world. We celebrate the promise of God that He fights for the oppressed and that history will vindicate the just.
“How come that an ethnic group that has suffered various kinds of injustice, alienation and relative deprivations have undauntedly remained afloat in the academia, corporate world, transportation, tourism, commerce and industry, etc?”
