Parents of detained leader of the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, His Royal Majesty (HRM) Eze Israel Kanu, and Ugoeze Sally Kanu, have appealed to President Muhammadu Buhari to release their son.
They said that the younger Kanu committed no crime to be kept in prison by the Federal Government since October 2015 when he was arrested for alleged treasonable offences.
Speaking with The AUTHORITY in his palace at Afarukwu Umuahia, Eze Kanu, who is 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.
He argued that even the Nigerian constitution guarantees freedom of speech of the citizens, and wondered why his son should continue to be held behind bars for merely demanding for Biafra self-rule.
The monarch said: “I want my son released because he committed no crime. He is not armed and he is only fighting for his right.”
His wife, Ugoeze Kanu, specifically appealed to Buhari to release her son so he could get medical attention following reports of his deteriorating health.
She said it was over seven months she last saw her son in prison and was worried over reports of his failing health.
Meanwhile, Eze Kanu has hailed the IPOB over its sit-at-home order to its members and sympathisers to press for the release of Nnamdi, saying that “an aggrieved person has the right to express his grievances.”
He expressed support for the action, noting that it was better than street protests which often lead to the loss of innocent lives.
The octogenarian, who contended that 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 Biafra agitators.
Eze Kanu said there was nothing wrong with Nigeria conducting a plebiscite to determine if the demand for the Biafra state is popular or not.
He, however, accused the Igbo political class of docility over the ordeal of his son and the Biafran project, saying that they rather preferred to remain taciturn because of their selfish interests.
The monarch said the political elite should not leave the struggle for the ordinary people or be afraid to speak out for fear of victimisation, arguing that if Biafra is actualised, it is the political class that will benefit from it.
There was partial compliance with the sit-at-home order in Umuahia, the Abia State capital.
The AUTHORITY discovered that some private schools in Umuahia closed down on Friday, apparently for fear of the unknown.
One of the schools issued a circular on Thursday directing its pupils not to turn up on Friday.
Similarly, it was observed that the usual crowd in the banks were not present when our correspondent visited some of them to monitor the situation.
Although bank officials were not willing to respond to inquiries by our correspondent, the low turnout of customers was not unconnected with the IPOB’s order.
– Authority
