Former Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, at the weekend explained why southeast senators had intervened to secure the release of the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) Nnamdi Kanu, from the detention of the Department of Security Service (DSS).
The former deputy senate president advocated a political solution to the release of Nnamdi Kanu and controversies surrounding the activities of the IPOB in the southeast.
Ekweremadu noted that the South-East Caucus in the National Assembly took similar action when the leader of the Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB), Ralph Uwazuruike, was arrested and detained by the administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo; he expressed optimism that the Caucus will succeed in securing the freedom of Kanu as the members did in the case of Uwazurike.
Ekweremadu had stated: “We expect that ultimately, we find a political solution in respect of Nnamdi Kanu’s problem.
“In the past, we have done similar things. What we want to see is to make sure that the Federal Government understands the feelings of our people.
“It is not easy to predict right now, but what we want to see is to reduce tension in the South-East.”
The former deputy senate president emphasised that when the MASSOB leader, Ralph Uwazuruike, was arrested during the administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo, there were interventions, but the case was resolved during the tenure of late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua.
The senator narrated that he visited late President Musa Yar’Adua, in the company of some senators, and they invited the then Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, to negotiate political terms for the release of Uwazuruike.
Ekweremadu had highlighted: “When Uwazuruike was detained by Obasanjo, there was tension until Yar’Adua came… Eventually, we ended up in a political solution and Uwaruzuike was released.
“The same thing with Nnamdi Kanu, when he was detained, I also led a delegation to meet the President.
“We expect that just as we had some results in the past, maybe we should come out with something that should be acceptable by all the parties.”
Clearly the activities of the IPOB over the Nnamdi Kanu detention by the DSS has become worrisome to southeast leaders. The weekly sit-at-home proclaimed by the IPOB every Monday is gaining currency in southeast states, residents of the various states voluntarily complying with the order despite government interventions and efforts to get the people to disregard the sit-at-home order.
Several other groups have also expressed concerns, showing fears that it may have devastating effects on the southeast economy.
The southeast Caucus in the National Assembly are now taking bold steps to secure the release of Nnamdi Kanu on whose behalf there has been rising tension in the southeast.