South-East monarch urges President Tinubu to release Nnamdi Kanu or return him abroad, warning unrest among youths could escalate

Dr Lawrence Agubuzu, the Eze Ogbunechendo of Ezema Olo Kingdom, has urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to release the convicted leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu, or return him to Kenya, where he was arrested.

Also read: Nnamdi Kanu’s Family Warns Against Fake Social Media Accounts

Agubuzu made the appeal on Tuesday during the 2026 National Traditional and Religious Leaders Summit on Health at the State House Conference Centre, Abuja.

The monarch warned that Kanu’s continued detention was fuelling agitation among youths in the South-East and eroding the credibility of traditional rulers.

“The ball is in your court. Bring this man out. If we don’t want him in Nigeria, return him to Kenya or London where they took him from,” Agubuzu told the President.

The summit, themed “The Role of Traditional and Religious Leaders in Advancing the Nigeria Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative,” was convened to enhance community engagement in health reforms.

It featured the signing of a compact by traditional and religious leaders to champion healthcare delivery.

Agubuzu criticised what he saw as inconsistent unity messaging, referencing the planned conferment of a high traditional honour on Yoruba Nation activist Sunday Igboho.

He stressed that youths in the South-East were agitated and that traditional rulers risked losing credibility if the Kanu issue remained unresolved.

Kanu, 58, a British-Nigerian activist and founder of the proscribed IPOB, was first arrested in Lagos in October 2015 for treasonable felony and has since been involved in one of Nigeria’s most protracted legal cases.

Following his 2025 conviction on terrorism-related charges, he was sentenced to life imprisonment and transferred to the Sokoto Correctional Centre.

Meanwhile, the summit featured addresses from the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate, the First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, and representatives of the World Health Organisation and World Bank.

Also read: Court of Appeal Dismisses Nnamdi Kanu’s Rights Appeal

Initiatives launched included the second cohort of the National Health Fellows programme and a compact to strengthen community participation, transparency, and accountability in healthcare delivery.