No Sufficient Reason For The Prolonged Detention Of Nnamdi Kanu – Ohanaeze Ndigbo

The newly elected President-General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, Fidelis Chukwu, has urged the Nigerian government to release Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).

Mr. Fidelis Chukwu made this appeal during his first meeting with the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the Igbo socio-cultural group, held in Enugu on Sunday.

The details of his speech were shared in a statement released on Tuesday by Ohanaeze spokesperson, Chiedozie Ogbonnia.

Nnamdi Kanu, currently facing terrorism charges at the Federal High Court in Abuja, has been in detention since his controversial extradition from Kenya in June 2021.

Mr. Chukwu emphasized that Kanu’s continued detention was a “moral burden” on the Nigerian government, arguing that “there is no sufficient reason for the prolonged detention of Kanu by the security agency of the state.”

He assured the NEC members that he would work closely with prominent Igbo leaders in government to push for Kanu’s release through a collaborative approach.

During the meeting, Mr. Chukwu also raised concerns about the excessive number of security checkpoints in the South-East.

He criticized how these checkpoints have turned a simple trip from Enugu to Onitsha—a distance of about 100 kilometers—into a four-hour ordeal due to extortion.

The Ohanaeze leader identified operatives from the Nigerian Army, Nigeria Police Force, FRSC, Vehicle Inspection Officers, and vigilante groups as being responsible for the numerous checkpoints, which he described as exploitative and a significant burden on the region.

KanyiDaily recalls that Nnamdi Kanu had objected his continued detention in DSS custody, requesting the court to reinstate his revoked bail from 2019 or to place him under house arrest.