Chief Victor Umeh, a former national chairman of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) and senatorial candidate for Anambra Central for the Labour Party (LP) in the 2023 election, has urged the federal government to free Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), after the Court of Appeal freed him.
Kanu was released on Friday by the Court of Appeal in Abuja, but Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, said that additional accusations against him that were brought before he fled Nigeria in 2017 were still standing.
Kanu is still being held by the federal authorities as a result.
Speaking with reporters in Awka, Umeh said the continued detention of the IPOB leader amounted to a violation of the judgment of the Court of Appeal.
He said: “In a sense the federal government has been given a golden opportunity to bring to an end the problem between IPOB and the federal government of Nigeria.
“When Nnamdi Kanu was brought home from Kenya last year, I was one of those who asked that the matter be given fair judicial adjudication. Along the line, through a suit instituted by Kanu, a court in Umuahia, Abia State quashed the charges against him and ordered that he should be released unconditionally.
“At that time, I suggested that government should use a political solution to resolve the matter and end the security tension, but they did not heed the advice.
“Now that the Court of Appeal has dismissed the charges against him, it is trite for government to let him go because I don’t think the federal government has any further reason to continue to keep him.
“Someone who is looking for peace should know when God has given him an opening to embrace peace. This judgement by the Court of Appeal is sufficient to end all charges against Nnamdi Kanu and allow him to go. It will also help to solve the security problem in the South East.
“Every Monday there is sit at home in the South East, but if they release him now, that will disappear and we will have five working days in a week like others.
“The federal government has nothing to gain by continuing to detain Nnamdi Kanu. If you noticed, tension has already dropped following the court judgment and releasing him will not lead to any challenge anymore. It is for the government to rely on this judgement to release him.
“I also remember that Igbo leaders went to solicit for the unconditional release and Prof Ben Nwabueze even went on a wheelchair with Chief Mbazulike Amaechi to ask for Kanu’s release and President Buhari said he did not want to interfere in judicial processes.
“But now that the Court of Appeal has set him free, I believe that this is a golden opportunity for Mr president to rely on this judgement to release Kanu.
“I believe that if this is done, the country will be better for it, instead of trying to increase the tension by keeping him. If they obey the judgement, everyone will be happy.”
“The recent judgement setting Kanu free was a window for the federal government to embrace peace”.