Former Governor of Anambra State,
Mr. Peter Obi, has described the release of the Leader of the Indigenous People
of Biafra (IPOB), Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, as a welcome development. Kanu, who was
detained for 18 months, was set free from Kuje Prison Abuja on Thursday evening
after meeting the conditions for the bail granted him on Tuesday by a Federal
High Court Abuja presided over by Justice Binta Nyako.
“I am happy that the Federal
Government this time listened to the voice of reason. I congratulate Kanu on
his release and wish to commend all those who played one role or the other to
ensure that he met his tough bail conditions and was actually released,” Obi
said in a statement issued on Saturday night by his Media Office.
The former governor, however,
expressed displeasure that the other Biafra activists detained with Nnamdi Kanu
continue to languish in prison custody. “I wish to appeal to the Judiciary and
the Federal Government to equally consider the other Biafra detainees for bail
and release since, to the best of my knowledge, they have never resorted to
violence in their agitation,” he said.
Obi noted that while the release of
Nnamdi Kanu will help to calm frayed nerves, tension will likely remain high in
the South-East and South-South geo-political zones in view of the continued
detention of other Biafra activists. “As I counseled previously, the Federal
Government should engage the Biafra agitators in dialogue. Every agitation in
the world is resolved through dialogue,” Obi said.
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