An elder statesman and First Republic Minister of Aviation, Chief Mbazulike Amechi, has given assurance that the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, would soon be released.
Amaechi spoke to journalists in Onitsha, on Wednesday, ahead of Kanu’s April 8 hearing date.
The elder statesman, who led a powerful delegation to meet the President, Major General Muhammad Buhari (retd.), concerning the release of Kanu last year, regretted that Kanu was still being detained despite the assurances by the president that he would release the freedom fighter.
He, however, stated that although negotiations were ongoing, he does not know the exact date Kanu will be released but has the assurance that he would be released soon based on the ongoing negotiations between the Federal Government and prominent Igbo leaders.
He lamented that the continuous detention of Kanu has led to various agitations in the South-East, which have caused the destruction of lives and properties in the region, The Trumpet gathered.
According to him, we the Igbo elders met with President Buhari shortly after Kanu’s arraignment in court and told him to release him for us to go home and discuss with him the next Igbo agenda and Buhari gave us an audience and ever since then, negotiations between us and the Federal Government have been on to free Kanu.
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“Although, I am disappointed that up until now, Buhari has not released him despite assurances he gave to us on the day we visited him in Aso Rock, all hope is not lost as we are sure that Kanu will soon be released based on the ongoing negotiations.
“I will call on those agitating for one thing or the other to remain calm and be hopeful. Although, these agitations have demonstrated that only the release of Kanu will stop the agitations and we are working towards his release.”
Also, the Vice President, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Chief Damian Okeke-Ogene, said the only thing that can guarantee peace in the South-East region is to release Kanu.
He said, “If anybody is looking for peace in Igbo land, Nnamdi Kanu should be first of all released unconditionally and soonest or else, we should not be expecting to have peace as long as he is still in detention.”
