Prominent Nigerian publisher and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chieftain Dele Momodu has thrown his weight behind growing demands for the unconditional release of Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), arguing that the separatist crisis in the South-East demands urgent political reconfiguration rather than legal or military suppression.
In a post on his X (formerly Twitter) handle on Tuesday, Momodu shared a clip of one of Kanu’s pre-arrest broadcasts from Kenya, where the IPOB leader philosophized on the roots of radicalization among Igbo youth.
“Shortly before his abduction from Kenya by the Nigerian government, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu made this thought-provoking broadcast in which he philosophised about the reasons he and his supporters became radicalised,” Momodu wrote.
Kanu, who has been in detention since his dramatic rendition from Kenya by Nigerian security agents in 2021, faces terrorism charges at the Federal High Court in Abuja.
His trial has drawn international condemnation, with rights groups accusing the government of rights abuses and stifling dissent.
Momodu dismissed critics of Kanu, saying many had failed to grasp the historical grievances fueling the Biafra agitation.
“I have taken time to listen to his critics and discovered most of them only jumped to conclusions without proper analysis of why agitation for Biafra became reignited, attractive, and fanciful after the pogrom that wasted millions of lives and destroyed unimaginable properties in the 1960s and ’70s,” he stated.
He highlighted Kanu’s broadcast, which attributed the resurgence to “the continuing marginalisation of the Igbo, and deprivation accorded some of the most energetic and vibrant brains in Africa, and globally, rekindled the Biafra sentiment.”
The Ovation Magazine publisher insisted that silencing Kanu through detention or worse would not quell the unrest.
“Attempts by enemies of Kanu, including his own kinsmen, to exterminate him will never solve the problem. The Igbo struggle goes beyond legalese. It requires serious political reconfiguration, and urgently too,” Momodu emphasized.
A staunch advocate for non-violence, he added: “I will never support violence. But any sensible government will keep the geniuses of the South-East very busy, with productive engagements, instead of this rabid hatred.”
Momodu’s intervention aligns with a chorus of voices from political leaders, civil rights activists, and Igbo socio-cultural groups like Ohanaeze Ndigbo, who have repeatedly petitioned President Bola Tinubu for Kanu’s release as a pathway to peace in the region plagued by insecurity and separatist fervor.
The call gains urgency amid Kanu’s ongoing trial, where he recently rejected legal representation and sought to challenge the charges’ validity, prompting judicial pleas for him to seek counsel.
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