Honourable Benjamin Kalu, deputy speaker of the House of Representatives, has said plans are in top gear to ensure the release of Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).
Kanu has been in detention at the Department of State Services since 2021 following his arrest in Kenya and repatriation to Nigeria.
The Deputy Speaker who spoke on Tuesday on the “South East political Roundtable,” a current affairs radio programme on FLO FM in Umuahia said that deliberations were ongoing to free the separatist leader.
Kalu said, “We can’t put all our programmes and plans on social media. He’s (Kanu) my brother. Is he in the mix of what we are trying to do? Yes! It’s one of our agendas to ensure he’s released. Who wants their brother to be in jail?
“We are working underground. There’s a detailed strategy. It’s not by violence; you can’t coerce the government through violence. It has never worked and won’t work. Let’s be wiser. The wisdom is in peace. Let’s quench the violence”.
Meanwhile, the Supreme Court, on December 15, sanctioned his trial on the charges of terrorism filed against him by the federal government.
The apex court had sided with the federal government’s appeal, challenging the Appeal Court’s order for Mr Kanu’s release earlier in October 2023 despite argument from the defence counsels.
Mr Kanu, who was arrested in 2015 on charges bordering on treason and terrorism, had jumped bail in 2017 after the military invaded his home and killed scores of civilians.
Though, he was later re-apprehended and renditioned from Kenya to Nigeria in 2021, a move many pro-democracy group condemned.
