Kanu’s family accuses Tinubu of reneging on pre-election deal

The family of Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), has accused President Bola Tinubu of failing to honour an alleged agreement made before the 2023 general election to secure Kanu’s release.

In a statement issued on Thursday, Prince Emmanuel Kanu, the younger brother of the detained secessionist leader, claimed that Tinubu’s son, Seyi Tinubu, personally met with him to negotiate the terms of the agreement.

According to Emmanuel, the deal required IPOB to refrain from disrupting the election in exchange for Kanu’s freedom if Tinubu became president.

“Before the last election, I received a message from a former governor that Seyi, the son of President Tinubu, wanted to meet with me,” Emmanuel Kanu revealed in the statement. “I agreed on the condition that the focus of our discussion would be my brother’s release.”

The meeting reportedly took place in Abuja with another individual present as a witness. Emmanuel stated that Seyi Tinubu assured him that the meeting had the approval of his father and that any agreement reached would be binding.

“In good faith, we agreed that IPOB would not interfere with the election process. I relayed this understanding to my brother, and he reaffirmed IPOB’s commitment to not call for an election boycott or engage in civil disobedience,” Emmanuel explained.

He added that President Tinubu, during a campaign visit to Owerri, publicly reiterated his promise to secure Kanu’s release if elected.

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Despite the alleged agreement, Emmanuel expressed disappointment that nearly two years into Tinubu’s presidency, Nnamdi Kanu remains in detention.

He highlighted that several court rulings, including those from the Appeal Court and Supreme Court, have either discharged Kanu or declared his detention unlawful.

 “It defies logic that nearly two years after President Tinubu assumed office, my brother remains in detention without any formal charges. The Appeal Court discharged him and ordered his release, a decision ignored by the Buhari administration.

The Supreme Court also determined that his bail should not have been revoked, yet this has been disregarded,” Emmanuel lamented.

He accused the Nigerian judiciary of delaying justice by relying on technicalities and failing to address the case on its merits. “His detention lacks any legal basis, either in Nigeria or elsewhere in the world,” Emmanuel stated.

The Kanu family described the government’s failure to honour the alleged agreement as deeply disappointing. “It is disheartening that those who claim to be honorable cannot keep their word,” Emmanuel said.

The family urged President Tinubu to fulfill his commitment and ensure that Nnamdi Kanu is released, stating that his continued detention violates court orders and undermines the credibility of the justice system in Nigeria.

The IPOB leader, whose detention has been a subject of international attention and human rights advocacy, has been in custody since 2021, despite various legal victories in his favor.