By Adesina Soyooye
Professor George Obiozor, Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide President, has said that the continued detention and prosecution, by the Federal Government, of Nnamdi Kanu, Leader of the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra, IPOB, smacks of discrimination against the Igbo Nation.
Obiozor, who spoke in an interview on Channels Television’s programme, Politics Today, said Kanu’s case requires nothing more than a political solution as has been done for others from some areas of Nigeria.
Obiozor: “In some areas of Nigeria, people who behaved like Kanu have been forgiven, given amnesty, and reintegrated into the Country.”
Obiozor said the Igbo were not asking from President Muhammadu Buhari nothing more in the Kanu case, except for the President to resort to his bag of ‘prerogative of mercy’, as had been done for others, and release Kanu unconditionally.
Obiozor: “So, also, is what we are asking for, for the President to use the prerogative of mercy to look into the situation in the South-east. Prerogative of mercy is exclusively the right of the President.
“We are not talking of the use of Court, or use of force. Use of force is dangerous to everybody, and definitely, it will not solve the problem, it will make it worse.
Citing examples on how such cases, as Kanu’s, had been handled in other parts of Nigeria, he said: “Several times, I, as President of Ohanaeze, including last week, made a similar statement concerning Nnamdi Kanu and IPOB. And, I have made the reference you are totally aware of.
“You saw South-south’s Avengers, MEND, and the rest, and how the matter was resolved. You saw how, even, the present Boko Haram, are being forgiven and rehabilitated.
“The problem of Federalism is that the sensitivity is very much on the surface. If you don’t do to the others as you have done to one, you will have problems. That is what I mean by precarious balance which must be maintained by any leadership in any country like Nigeria. It is not anything strange; it is really an honest demand.”
Kanu has been in the custody of the Federal Government, being prosecuted at a Federal High Court for sundry alleged offences, including terrorism and treasonable felony.
Buhari recently reneged on the promise he made to some Igbo leaders led by 94 year-old Mbazulike Amaechi, who appealed to him to release Kanu. He told them it was a difficult request, but promised to look into it.
A couple of weeks ago, he insisted Kanu should face the cases against him in Court, as he, Buhari, has no intention of intervening in cases before the Judiciary.
