The Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu, has called on President Bola Tinubu to release the embattled leader of the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, from detention.
The IPOB leader has been in detention since he was repatriated to Nigeria from Kenya in June 2021 under controversial circumstances. He is being prosecuted for alleged terrorism by the Nigerian government at a Federal High Court in Abuja.
Kalu made the appeal on Wednesday while briefing journalists after the inaugural meeting of the House of Representatives committee on the South-East Development Commission (SEDC) at the National Assembly complex in Abuja.
“We are appealing to him to temper justice with mercy and release Nnamdi Kanu to southeast people. It will ensure more security for our people and spring up development that this SEDC is going to bring,” he stated.
“We noticed that the insecurity there will be reduced if Nnamdi Kanu is released. We want Nnamdi Kanu to be released because we know it will give our people more security.”
He noted that President Tinubu has proven his love for the South-Easterners through his speedy assent to the South East Development Commission Bill which failed in previous assemblies.
Kalu also suggested the adoption of political approach in resolving the crisis in the region rather than the current legal option, adding that the people of the region will be eternally grateful to the President if that becomes a reality.
“Those who are using him as excuse to perpetrate all these criminal actions around our area will have no other reason to be on the street. Then the police and security agencies will catch anyone who claims Nnamdi Kanu is the reason for causing harm to the people of South-East.
“So, we are begging, you can’t coarse the President, he’s the Commander in Chief. All we are saying is use the political approach not the legal approach,” he stated.
