Hope for the release of the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu, appears to be growing as South-East Senators of Nigeria plan to meet with the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Prince Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, today, Wednesday, July 3. This meeting aims to advocate for Kanu’s release.
Led by Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, the delegation of Senators is expected to present their plea to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu through the AGF.
Sources close to the Senators confirmed to Daily Post that the meeting would take place at the Conference Hall of the AGF at the Federal Ministry of Justice in Abuja at 10 am.
This initiative follows a prior request made by about 50 members of the House of Representatives, who sought forgiveness for Kanu. Uchenna Awom, a Special Assistant on media to Senator Abaribe, confirmed the new effort to the press on Tuesday in Abuja.
It is noteworthy that on June 23, around 50 federal lawmakers, under the banner “Concerned Federal Lawmakers for Peace and Security in the South East,” had urged President Tinubu to direct the AGF to use Section 174 of the 1999 Constitution to terminate the criminal charges against Kanu and release him.
Additionally, Obi Aguocha, a House of Representatives member representing Ikwuano, Umuahia North and South Federal Constituency, sought former President Muhammadu Buhari’s support for Kanu’s release. Aguocha visited Buhari in Daura, Katsina, to apologize on behalf of Kanu for his “missteps and ill gestures,” advocating for a political resolution to address the concerns of all parties and promote national unity.
Daily Post reported that Senator Abaribe’s team will not only argue for Kanu’s release but also urge the Federal Government to drop the terrorism charges against him. Senator Abaribe had initially stood surety for Kanu with a bond of N100m when Kanu was first arrested and charged with terrorism offenses by the federal government at the Federal High Court in Abuja.
Kanu fled the country after being granted bail, alleging a military invasion of his home in Abia State aimed at killing him. Consequently, an arrest warrant was issued by the Federal High Court. In 2021, the Nigerian government intercepted Kanu in Kenya and brought him back to the country, where he has been detained by the Department of State Services on fresh terrorism charges since then.
Moreover, former Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Kanu Godwin Agabi, and Chief Mike Ozekhome, both Senior Advocates of Nigeria, have also pleaded with the federal government to forgive Kanu and order his release from custody.
Meanwhile, the five governors in the South-East geopolitical zone have agreed to meet with President Bola Tinubu to discuss all pressing issues affecting the zone.
The governors also said plans are in top gear to secure the release of Nnamdi Kanu.
According to the Chairman of the South-East Governors’ Forum and Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodimma, who read out the communiqué at the end of the Forum’s meeting in Enugu on Tuesday, the governors also resolved to discuss other issues ranging from security, to economy with the President.
Other governors at the meeting were Francis Nwifuru (Ebonyi), Alex Otti (Abia), Chukwuma Soludo (Anambra), and Peter Mbah (Enugu).
