CITIZENS COMPASS— Following the life sentence passed on the Leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, on Friday , appealed to the Ndigbo to remain calm even as they are currently facing provocation wake of the conviction.
Nnamdi Kanu was convicted for terrorism charges.
In a statement posted on her official X handle, Odumegwu-Ojukwu, described the verdict as difficult but unavoidable.
According to her, “The outcome is not what we anticipated, nor prayed for, but a reality that is now upon us.
“There comes a time in the history of a people when there is a need for calm. I therefore advise Ndigbo, and Nigerians as a whole, that such a period is now. “All actions which could be deemed incendiary, and which might escalate the situation at home or in the diaspora, should be curtailed,”
Odumegwu-Ojukwu who had just returned from Zanzibar, Tanzania, on an official assignment emphasized that the current moment calls for deep reflection and unity among Igbo stakeholders.
“The most effective path toward resolution of this crisis is dialogue. The quest for mutual coexistence of Ndigbo in Nigeria with justice, equity, and dignity requires our collective resolve. Maintaining peace and order is essential to ensuring the security of all citizens, regardless of tribe or creed.
“All stakeholders in the South-East must come together for a joint engagement, sincerely… to seek a political resolution to this matter.”
Citizens Compass reported that Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court, Abuja, yesterday, convicted Kanu of seven counts of terrorism. He received life imprisonment on five counts, 20 years on one, and five years on another, with all sentences to run concurrently. Justice Omotosho declined the death penalty, citing international standards and the broader interest of justice.
Meanwhile, Kanu’s family has raised alarm over his sudden relocation to Sokoto without prior notice.
A member of the family, Prince Emmanuel Kanu, who raised the alarm said that when his legal team went to visit him at the Abuja headquarters of the Department of State Services, DSS, where he had been held all along, they were told he had been moved to Sokoto.
Rejecting the action, Kanu’s family expressed worry over the safety of the IPOB leader in a Sokoto prison.
“They have secretly relocated Nnamdi Kanu to Sokoto prison with the intention to kill him by denying him access to his personal physicians.
” Kanu is on special medication, which a private doctor is managing after his failed health. Now they want to go back to the old order of administering drugs to him. This is a plan to finally kill him, and we are opposed to it.
“Nigeria should not kill Nnamdi Kanu for seeking justice for his people. He committed no crime to warrant this torture”.
