Road Less Travelled: Nnamdi Kanu and Journey to Freedom

Sam Hart

In recent weeks, there has been ramped up agitation for the release of Nnamdi Kanu, the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) who has been in incarceration since Agust 2021. The calls have come from various quarters notably from a group of Parliamentarians in the Nigerian House of Representatives to Governors of the South East Region and Senators of South East extraction in the Nigerian National Assembly.

The Igbos say that ‘anyukota mmamiri onu, ogbaa ufufu’ loosely translating to mean that there is greater impact in acting in unison. These calls therefore are most welcome as they are all geared towards achieving the same purpose.

The calls have been gratifying and satisfying. It echoes a journey that has been ongoing for a while now – both clandestinely and in plain view. The release of Nnamdi Kanu is a certified masterstroke that will solve a lot of problems currently bedeviling the South East Region and the Nation at large.

It will be recalled that the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Benjamin Okezie Kalu, has since his assumption of office, prioritised the resolution of the security impasse in the South East.

There is no gainsaying the fact that the socio-economic and indeed, every facet of existence in the South East region, has taken huge blows due to the lingering insecurity in the region. The sit-at-home phenomenon, which was originally introduced by the IPOB high-command to press home their demand for the release of Kanu, has had deleterious and devastating impacts on socio-economic and political development, livelihoods, well-being and civic freedoms in the South East region.

The weekly sit-at-home, which is being observed every Monday in the region, has ruined the economy of the South-East and worsened the plight of the toiling people most of whom depend on daily earnings, thereby increasing rural poverty and misery.

The spate of insecurity in the South-East, has led to the deaths of more than 1,700 people between January 2021 and June 2023 according to Data from the International Centre for Investigative Reporting (ICIR).

It is also important to note that a group of state and non-state actors have taken advantage of the situation to unleash untoward carnage on the region. The result is the rise and reign of roving armed criminal groups described as ‘unknown gunmen’. This group of criminal marauders are majorly behind the killings in the Southeast. Unmasking their true identity, whether state or non-state sponsored, is key to addressing bloodletting in the region.

There is therefore no gainsaying the fact that the release of Kanu and his anticipated public disavowal of all groups hiding under the IPOB agitation to perpetuate violence in the region, will go a long way to curbing the spate of mindless bloodletting in the region.

This is why it is imperative to commend the efforts of the Deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu who has championed a non-kinetic approach to the cessation of hostilities in the region.

As part of Kalu’s advocacy for peace to return to the South East region, he, alongside other Members of the House of Representatives from the South East region, set up the Peace in the South East Project (PISE-P) with primary objective to promote a non-kinetic approach to peace-building in the region.

The Peace in the South East Project was unveiled formally on the 29th of December, 2023 at a grand event attended by President Ahmed Bola Tinubu who was represented by Vice President Kashim Shettima. Also in attendance were the Speaker of the House of Representatives, the Deputy Senate President, Governors of all the South East States, foremost Traditional Rulers in the country including the Obi of Onitsha, Igwe Alfred Nnaemeka Achebe, the Emir of Kano, Alhaji Aminu Ado Bayero, the Ooni of Ife, Ojaja Enitan Ogunwusi and the Emir of Bichi, Alhaji Nasir Ado Bayero among others.

The President-General of Ohaneze Ndigbo, Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu was also present alongside an array of the leading industrialists, socio-political and cultural icons in the region including religious leaders and the academia.

The import of that Bende event was a repudiation of the lingering state of insecurity in the region and a commitment to embracing an alternative paradigm to resolving the impasse. In the aftermath of the Bende convening, the Deputy Speaker has continued ceaseless open and covert moves to ensure the release of Kanu as a key panacea to the resolution of the situation in the South East region.

The Deputy Speaker has held countless meetings with the leaders of Government and security organisations in the country to arrive at a consensus on the imperative to resolve the lingering crisis. One of the moves made by the Deputy Speaker was a private meeting with Kanu during a visit to the Director-General of the Department of State Security, Alhaji Yusuf Magaji Bichi.

During the meeting, the Deputy Speaker assured Kanu that efforts were in top gear to secure his release and in return, obtained a commitment from Kanu on the de-escalation of divisive rhetoric and postures which appear recalcitrant and inimical to efforts to release him. Kanu also vehemently condemned the spate of brigandage being carried out by anyone in his name or the name of his group – the IPOB – and expressed his sadness at the wanton loss of lives and livelihood in the region on account of his incarceration.

Kanu, while assuring of his commitment towards cooperating with the current administration for national unity, pledged his support for the activities of the Deputy Speaker and enthused that the current efforts being put in place to channel development to the South East, including the imminent signing of the South East Development Commission Bill, which has been passed into Law by both chambers of the National Assembly, bore hallmarks of his desire for equitable development of the South East region.

It is therefore gladdening and gratifying that major stakeholders in the South East region have ramped up the call for the release of Kanu.

A group of 50 Members of the House of Representatives led by the Member Representing Ikwuano/Umuahia Federal Constituency – Kanu’s Constituency – Hon. Obinna Aguocha, signed a letter to the President pleading for the release of the IPOB leader.

The South East Governors Forum also in the Communique issued at the end of their recent Meeting called for the release of Kanu.

Similarly, the Forum of South East Senators led by Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe also visited the Attorney-General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi, SAN where they asked for an out of court resolution of the case against Kanu.

In tandem with the earlier Igbo proverb of collective action leading to greater results, there is no doubt that these renewed agitations will move the needle in the journey to resolving this crisis.  The return of peace to the South East is a non-negotiable imperative and all hands must be on deck.

It must also be stated that the body language of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has tilted towards the resolution of the crisis. His delegation of the Vice President to represent him at the Bende Peace Declaration where his official speech was read and other public and private commitments he has made, gives credence to the belief that the resolution of the impasse is imminent.

It is natural that a government would not want to be arm-twisted or seen to be capitulating to non-state actors so as to avoid proliferation of similar groups who will also expect presidential cuddling. It has therefore become imperative that the leaders of the South East region continue in their conciliatory approach to resolving the situation by appealing to the Government to use its powers to release Kanu as a panacea to the resolution of the crisis in the region.

Efforts must therefore be encouraged to tone down all divisive rhetoric and lean more towards conciliatory embrace of holistic peace in the region.

The imperative has become urgent as the situation in the South East is steadily deteriorating. The Traditional Igbo Wedding, a usually colourful event, which is held in the family compound of the bride, is a veritable aspect of Igbo culture and part of our heritage but unfortunately, in recent times, prominent Igbo families now choose to give out their daughters in marriage in other cities as they do not want to put their guests in harm’s way. Igbos are now afraid to return home to bury their loved ones.

Visitations to ancestral homes, a traditional past-time of the Igbos, is gradually receding. Igbo businesses are daily relocating out of the region with attendant deleterious economic impact and such state of affairs is contributing to the exacerbation of unemployment and delinquency in the region.

A prosperous South East – as any other region – is important for the economic progress of the Nation at large and all efforts must be intensified to continue to ensure that the Government is persuaded to release Kanu so that all those who are perpetuating violence in his name will have no further excuses and can then be met with the full weight of the law as the criminals and economic saboteurs that they are.

Kudos must therefore go to Benjamin Okezie Kalu for his tireless efforts to resolve this challenge.

Commendation too goes to all aforementioned stakeholders who have lent their voice to this approach and everything must be done to encourage them to continue to appeal to the federal Government to support this call for the release of Kanu as a panacea for the resolution of the insecurity impasse in the South East region.

Hart, a Member of the National Institute, writes from Abuja.