Immediate past Governor of Anambra
State, Mr. Peter Obi, has called for the release of the Leader of the
Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, and other detained Biafra
activists.
Mr. Obi, while fielding questions
from newsmen in Enugu on Thursday, emphasised that the use of force is not the
solution to the Biafra agitation as such agitations are best resolved through
dialogue.
“I wish to appeal to the Federal
Government to change its hardline posture on this issue and yield to the
persistent clamour for the release of Nnamdi Kanu and other Biafra activists so
as to douse the tension in the country, especially in the South-East and
South-South geo-political zones. The Federal Government should engage them in
dialogue. Every agitation in the world is resolved through dialogue and not by
means of force,” Obi said.
The former governor recalled that he
was among the first to advocate a political solution to the renewed Biafra
agitation and expressed disappointment that the advice was yet to be heeded.
“This has been my consistent position, and I remember making the same point
when I spoke at an event organised in Enugu in February 2016 by the Igbo Youth
Movement,” he said.
He noted that while the Federal
Government may have reservations about the Biafra agitation, it should realise
and acknowledge that the agitators, like other citizens, have their fundamental
rights of freedom of expression and assembly guaranteed by the Nigerian
Constitution. “To the best of my knowledge, the agitation for Biafra is not
violent and does not violate either the Nigerian Constitution or international
laws. I, therefore, condemn the use of force against the agitators,” he said.
Obi noted that Nnamdi Kanu and
others have been granted bails in the past by courts of competent jurisdiction.
He said it was a matter of regret that the Federal Government failed to use
those judicial windows to free the detainees. “The fact that they had been
granted bails that were not obeyed makes it even more pertinent to set them
free now. We are in a democratic regime and it is important that the rule of
law should be obeyed no matter whose case is involved,” he said.
The former governor advocated the
restructuring of Nigeria, saying that it remains the only panacea to the
various agitations and deep-seated anger that has consistently stoked tension
and prevented Nigeria from moving forward.
Tags
Politics