Release Nnamdi Kanu unconditionally – Bianca to Buhari
Mrs. Bianca Ojukwu, the wife of the late Biafran leader, Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu, has called on the president, General Muhammadu Buhari, to release the imprisoned leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) Nnamdi Kanu, unconditionally.
The ex-beauty queen made the call in Owerri, during the 11th Memorial Lecture of Dim Chukwuemeka Odimegwu Ojukwu.
Bianca, who had always spoken out against injustice, corruption, and government highhanded called on the president to adhere to the judgment of the court and set the Biafran leader free.
She said that “there cannot be any cogent reason for defying orders made by courts of competent jurisdiction in the land, as it will amount to self-help”.
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Nnamdi Kanu’s arrest and detention
Recall that the Federal Government of Nigeria had arrested and repatriated the IPOB leader from Kenya to Nigeria in June, 2021 to face charges bordering on terrorism and secessionism.
However, by October 13, of 2021, a court of appeal in Abuja faulted the Federal Government for repatriating Nnamdi Kanu by force. The judgment held that the Federal Government broke local and international laws while forcefully re-arresting and returning Nnamdi Kanu to Nigeria, and therefore, ordered the FG to set the IPOB leader free.
Meanwhile, another court of appeal led by Haruna Tsanami, held that the judgment releasing Nnamdi Kanu be put on hold until further notice. A year later, Nnamdi Kanu is still in detention.
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The Biafran agitation
While speaking on the implication of the continuous detention of the IPOB leader, Bianca recalled that the horrors of the Biafran war will never be forgotten. She stated that every home in Igboland lost a member during the 30-month war in which about 3million Igbos reportedly died.
She said,“As we all celebrate my late husband, we must also recall that there is no family in Igboland that did not lose a single soul during the 30-month old war. We will continue to remember all these people that died during that fratricidal war.”
Mrs. Ojukwu pleaded with Buhari to grant Nnamdi Kanu unconditional pardon as a sign of goodwill as not doing so would amount to stifling of democratic principles.
“I plead with the Federal Government to let Mazi Nnamdi Kanu have his freedom. I call for his unconditional release from prison. We are in a democracy. No country that brazenly hold its citizens in captivity, ever progresses, develops or creates the spirit of patriotism in the citizenry.
Bianca commended the ‘I can’ Igbo spirit and praised the Igbo people for always standing firm and holding their heads high wherever they are especially in this uncertain times.
“Nobody can hold the Igbo spirit down. This is one truism many people have refused to appreciate. Ndigbo have always opted to hold our heads held very high, than to die on our knees, begging.
“At no time in Igbo history, have we seen the type of brutality and wickedness, like we are seeing now. Nigeria has sadly become a crematorium of sorts. Our youths see nothing but a total wasteland ahead of them. Federal Government presence is non-existent in the South East.”
“The economy has irretrievably collapsed. The system failure has affected virtually everything and everybody. Government can no longer guarantee the preservation of life and protection of property. The system collapse has also affected trade, commerce, agriculture, education and all facets of life and living.
“There are people who sit in the comfort of their homes and constantly steal the oil in our communities and roll in dollars.
“2023 is around the corner. We must hold our leaders to account for their deeds or misdeeds, actions or inactions. This is payback time.”