Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), on Friday, recounted the distress his late parents endured after the Nigerian Army attempted to assassinate him at his residence in Afaraukwu, Abia State.
Kanu stated that the trauma from the 2017 military attack ultimately led to the passing of his parents, Eze Israel Okwu Kanu and Lolo Ugoeze Sally Nmeme Okwu Kanu, five years ago.
In September 2017, soldiers under Operation Python Dance stormed Kanu’s home, forcing him to flee and seek refuge in Europe.
Reflecting on the incident, Kanu expressed grief that those responsible for his parents’ deaths remain unpunished.
During his routine meeting with his legal team at the Department of State Services (DSS) facility in Abuja, Kanu spoke about the tragedy.
His lead counsel, Aloy Ejimakor, issued a statement quoting Kanu:
“Five years ago today, I lost my beloved parents—their Royal Majesties, Eze Sir Israel Okwu Kanu (JP) and Lolo Ugoeze Sally Nmeme Okwu Kanu. They suffered immense trauma from which they never recovered. In addition, 28 innocent people were killed simply because the Nigerian Army, unprovoked, launched a deadly attack on our royal home with the sole aim of assassinating me.
“When their attempt failed, they swiftly declared IPOB a terrorist organization to conceal their crime and deceive the public—an agenda that persists to this day.
“The greatest tribute we can pay is to ensure that their sacrifice, and that of all who died defending freedom at our home, is never forgotten.
“The perpetrators of this cold-blooded massacre—both those in Abuja and their collaborators in Igboland—continue to spread falsehoods against my lawful right to advocate for Biafra, a right protected under Nigerian law.”