All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftain, Joe Igbokwe, has urged the Federal Government not to yield to growing pressure to release the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Mazi Nnamdi Kanu.
In a series of posts shared on his Facebook page on Thursday, Igbokwe described Kanu as a man responsible for the deaths and destruction witnessed in the South-East over the past decade.
“A man who led Igbo young men and women to kill our people for ten years, burnt homes, stole wives, and shut down businesses does not deserve pity or pardon,” he wrote.
The former Special Adviser on Drainage and Water Resources to the Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, accused Kanu of misleading his followers and causing widespread insecurity in the region.
Igbokwe also dismissed reports about Kanu’s deteriorating health, insisting that claims of illness were attempts by his lawyers to secure his release.
“Let me drop this here for all Igbo in Nigeria and the diaspora to know — Nnamdi Kanu is 110 per cent okay. Let us not deceive ourselves. He is not sick at all. All these claims about his health are lies from the pit of hell,” he said.
Reacting to the planned #FreeNnamdiKanu protest being championed by rights activist Omoyele Sowore, the APC stalwart appealed to organisers to reconsider their stance, saying such actions dishonour those who lost their lives during violent agitations linked to IPOB.
“I want the world to hear my voice. Those who know Sowore should tell him not to march and spit on the graves of thousands of Igbo who were killed on Nnamdi Kanu’s instructions. The colossal damage in Lagos is still there,” he warned.
While Igbokwe insists that Kanu must face justice, calls for the IPOB leader’s release have continued to grow, with members of the House of Representatives, the Abia State House of Assembly, and several diaspora groups urging President Bola Tinubu to intervene on humanitarian grounds.
Kanu has been in the custody of the Department of State Services (DSS) since his re-arrest in 2021 on charges bordering on terrorism, treasonable felony, and incitement.
As the October 20 protest date draws near, Nigerians remain divided on whether the government should prioritise national healing or uphold strict legal accountability for the separatist leader.
