Kalu denies visiting British Envoy to discuss IPOB, Nnamdi Kanu

The Chief Whip of the Senate of the Nigerian National Assembly, Orji Uzor Kalu, on Tuesday in Abuja denied visiting the British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Mrs. Catriona Laing, to deliberate on the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB) crisis in the country.

The Chief Whip of the Nigerian Senate in a statement by Emeka Nwala, form the Office of the Chief Whip, noted that reports on social media linking him to a private visit to the British High Commissioner to Nigeria and negotiating the IPOB crisis, is false and mischievous.

Kalu acknowledged that contrary to speculated reports, the British High Commissioner to Nigeria visited him at his residence in Abuja on May 13, not him going to the High Commission.

The Senate Chief Whip highlighted that the High Commissioner was accompanied on the courtesy visit by the Political Counselor, British High Commission, Jonathan Bacon, and the First Secretary on Political, Stuart Gardner.

Kalu attributed the false report to have emanated from those that are jealous about his rising political profile and status in the country; noting that there have been attacks on his person recently from several places.

The Chief Whip pointed out that before the arrival of the British High Commissioner and her team, the Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr. Chris Ngige, was in his house on a cordial visit, adding that Ngige was not even aware that the British envoy was paying him a visit on that day.

There were insinuations that any discussion of IPOB with any foreign envoy would mostly be focused on the incarceration of IPOB leader, Nnamdi Kanu, standing trial for terrorism and treasonable felony by the federal government. Additional discussion could be on the status of Biafra and its independence. Meanwhile, the federal government is vehemently opposed to Biafra separation, and had deployed the Nigerian Army to the southeast to suppress the agitators and eliminate the Eastern Security Network (ESN), a security structure established by the IPOB to protect Igbo land against the killer herdsmen, kidnappers, and other perpetrators of crime in the region.

After years of coordinating the Biafra separatist agitation, Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the IPOB, was arrested a fortnight ago by the federal government and extradited back to Nigeria for prosecution.

It is apparent that the risk of intervention on the IPOB crisis by any state actor in Nigeria is very high. Accordingly, Senator Kalu has strong reasons to refute any report linking him to any form of intervention on IPOB issues.

Kalu, subsequently, decried: “It, therefore, baffles me that people could just be carelessly mischievous to state that I paid Her Excellency, Mrs. Catriona Laing, a courtesy visit with Dr. Ngige.

“In the last few weeks, there has been an increasing campaign of calumny against my person.

“I have been attacked right, left and centre. It has been from one rumour and lies to another, propagated by those suffering from jealousy and pull him down syndrome.

“This habit of sponsoring recycled false allegations against me is simply to discredit my goodwill on the good people of Nigeria.”

Kalu, therefore, declared: “Putting the records straight, I neither visited nor discussed IPOB with British High Commissioner as reported.”

The clarification has become germane as implication in IPOB negotiation could cost Kalu his position in the senate.