IPOB: Release my son, Kanu’s father tells Buhari

The father of Nnamdi Kanu, the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra [IPOB], HRM Eze Israel Kanu, has called on President Muhammadu Buhari, to free his son, maintaining that his son has not committed any crime to warrant his being kept in prison.

It will be recalled that Kanu has been in detention in Abuja prison since October 2015 over alleged treasonable offence.

Speaking with newsmen yesterday in his palace at Afarukwu Umuahia, Kanu’s father, the traditional ruler of Afaraukwu autonomous community, said his son was innocent of all the charges preferred against him by the Federal Government and should be released.

According to Eze Kanu, the Nigerian constitution guarantees freedom of speech for all citizens, wondering why his son should continue to be held behind bars for merely demanding for self- rule for his people.

The monarch said, “I want my son released by President Buhari because he committed no crime. He was not armed when he was arrested, he is only fighting for his rights for the freedom of his people.”

The traditional ruler used the forum to commend the IPOB for the sit-at- home directive to its members to press home their demand for the release of his son, adding that an aggrieved person has the right to express his grievances.

He expressed support for the order, noting that it was better than street protest, which often leads to the loss of more lives, saying that the sit-at-home directive will not give security agencies the excuse to shoot anyone.

The octogenarian, who strongly contended that the people had the inalienable right to express their feelings about how they are governed, called on the international community to prevail on the Nigerian government to release his son and other detained Biafran activists.

Eze Kanu said there was nothing wrong with Nigeria conducting a plebiscite to determine if the agitation for Biafra is popular or not, stressing that doing that will solve many problems for both sides of the divide.

He, however, accused the Igbo political class of docility over the ordeals of his son and the Biafran project, saying that they preferred to remain taciturn because of their political interests.

The monarch urged the political elite should not leave the struggle for the ordinary people, arguing that if Biafra is eventually actualized, it is the political class that will benefit most.

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