Igbo leaders back Igwe Agubuzu’s call for Nnamdi Kanu release, urging President Tinubu to resolve South East separatist tensions peacefully

Igbo leaders have endorsed the call by Igwe Lawrence Agubuzu, Chairman of the Enugu State Traditional Rulers’ Council, for President Bola Tinubu to release Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).

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Igwe Agubuzu made the appeal during the National Traditional and Religious Leaders’ Summit on Health in Abuja, emphasising the need for national unity while highlighting the continued detention of Kanu in Sokoto.

He urged President Tinubu to release Kanu or return him to the country from which he was extradited.

Former National Vice-President of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, Chief Damian Okeke-Ogene, commended Igwe Agubuzu for “speaking truth to power at the right place and time,” noting that the message was directed at Nigerians and not only the president.

Supporting the appeal, former Deputy Chief Whip of the Anambra State House of Assembly, Nze Tony-Uche Ezekwelu, stressed that IPOB remains a non-violent organisation compared with other groups that have used arms against the Nigerian state.

He called on President Tinubu to consider unconditional release and initiate dialogue with all secessionist movements, including Hausa nationalist and Middle Belt groups.

Similarly, Dede Uzor A. Uzor, Chairman of the Campaign for Democracy (CD), South East zone, criticised what he described as federal marginalisation of the South East and argued that freeing Kanu would help calm regional agitations.

Uzor highlighted perceived disparities in federal policies, infrastructure, and political representation, noting that the South East has been consistently underrepresented compared with other regions.

The leaders urged the federal government to adopt political solutions rather than continued detention, emphasising dialogue, inclusivity, and constitutional provisions for self-determination as ways to address longstanding grievances in the South East.

Also read: Traditional Ruler Urges Tinubu to Release Nnamdi Kanu

The collective backing of Igwe Agubuzu’s call underscores growing regional pressure for the release of Nnamdi Kanu and signals calls for a broader national conversation on unity, governance, and regional autonomy.