Calls have been made for President Bola Tinubu to release Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), as a gesture of reciprocity.
Aloy Ejimakor, Kanu’s Special Counsel, asserted that Tinubu should release the IPOB leader in a similar vein to Odumegu Ojukwu’s release of Obafemi Awolowo in the 1960s. In 1965, Awolowo was convicted of treason and imprisoned in Calabar prison. However, the late Biafra warlord, Ojukwu, facilitated Awolowo’s release on August 3rd, 1966.
Ejimakor conveyed this perspective on X, stating, “When Awolowo was convicted of treason in 1965, Okpara ensured that he was imprisoned in the East to protect him from his enemies in the West & North. Once Ojukwu came to power, he promptly released Awolowo to please the Yorubas. It’s payback time. @officialABAT should #FreeMNK.”
The constitutional lawyer also emphasized that the excessive deployment of the Army in the Southeast would be unnecessary if Kanu is released. He pointed out, “The rising over-deployment of the Army in Southeast in contrast with the greater insecurity in the North underscores the high-handedness with which Nigeria treats Ndigbo. Buhari took it to a new high & Tinubu appears to have sustained it. It won’t be necessary if you #FreeMNK.”