Governor of Abia State, Alex Otti, has expressed confidence that detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPoB), Nnamdi Kanu, will soon regain his freedom.
Otti spoke on Friday during a one-day official visit to the state by President Bola Tinubu, who was represented by the Minister of Works, Dave Umahi.
‘I can assure you that I am engaging with Mr President. He is favourably disposed to it, and I am sure that in no distant future, Nnamdi Kanu will regain his freedom’, Otti said at the event.
The governor also emphasised his long-standing relationship with President Tinubu, saying the president was a man of his word.
‘Mr President and I have been friends for decades. Whatever he wants to do, he will tell you, and if he will not, he will say so. Having made promises, I am sure he will keep them’, he noted.
Umahi Calls For Calm
Speaking on behalf of President Tinubu, the Minister of Works, David Umahi, urged residents of the South-East to remain united and peaceful.
‘I ask the people of the South-East to unite and come together. As your brother, I have listened to the messages for Mr President and the comments of the governor of Abia State’, Umahi said.
The minister assured that efforts were underway by regional leaders to pursue a political solution for Kanu’s case.
‘I want to assure Senator Abaribe and Governor Otti that the governors of the South-East are working very seriously. They are exploring a political solution together with our senators, House of Representatives members, and ministers’, he stated.
Umahi added that the Federal Government, with President Tinubu’s support, was committed to addressing the issue of Nnamdi Kanu through peaceful means.
‘I am confident that with the love of the president for the South-East, a peaceful resolution will come to pass. But we must remain law-abiding, appreciative, and recognise that this president has placed the South-East at the centre of national activities’, he said.
Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the proscribed group, IPoB, and his lawyer, Mike Ozekhome at the Federal High Court, Abuja.
Kanu, who holds both Nigerian and British citizenship, was first arrested in 2015 on treason charges. He was later released on bail in 2017 but fled Nigeria during the trial.
In 2021, he was arrested in Kenya and controversially extradited to Nigeria. Kanu’s trial has been repeatedly delayed.
Recently, the Federal High Court in Abuja dismissed his no-case submission, ordering him to face terrorism charges.
Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the proscribed group, IPoB, and his lawyer, Mike Ozekhome,Ifeanyi Ejiofor and Maxwell Opara at the Federal High Court, Abuja.
His legal team has argued that his health has worsened in detention and requested his transfer to the National Hospital in Abuja for proper treatment.
Meanwhile, governors in the southeast have continued to press for his release, hoping to ease growing regional tensions. Kanu remains one of Nigeria’s most closely watched political detainees.
On behalf of President Tinubu, Umahi inaugurated the newly remodeled Dr. Michael Okpara Auditorium and several completed road projects in Abia State. The projects were executed by the administration of Governor Otti.
