A group of lawmakers in the lower chamber of the National Assembly has called for the unconditional release of Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, from detention to “ensure lasting peace and security” in the South East.
The lawmakers, who made the plea on Thursday, are members of the House of Representatives ad-hoc committee set up to interface with security agencies to reduce kidnapping, assassinations and banditry in Isiukwuato and Umunneochi local government areas of Abia State.
Speaking on behalf of the committee, Obinna Aguocha, the chairperson of the committee, lamented that the security situation in the South East is not “mere statistics or headlines” but a “real-life manifestation that affects the lives of our people, disrupts the functioning of our institutions and communities, thus impeding the growth of our region.”
Aguocha, a Labour Party lawmaker representing Ikwuano/Umuahia North and South federal constituency, noted that Kanu’s freedom is the effective way to “tackle the roots of these issues at their core and work to ensure lasting solutions that would stand the test of time.”
“For absolute peace, reduction of crime and criminality, investment in meaningful infrastructure development, ending the unproductive sit-at-home and improving economic growth and opportunities in the South East, starts with the government’s recognition of the rule of law, justice, and equitable inclusion of the South East zone in the project Nigeria and the unconditional release of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu from unlawful detention to ensure lasting peace and security in the entire region,” he added.
The IPOB leader has been in the custody of the Department of State Services, DSS, since he was extradited from Kenya in June 2021.
There have been frequent demands from stakeholders, including South East governors, for his release, especially as concerns for his health keep mounting.
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