Igbo not silent on Nnamdi Kanu, Ohanaeze tells critics

The National Publicity of the Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Alex Ogbonnia, has said the Igbo are not silent on the issues concerning the leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu.

Ogbonnia, who spoke exclusively to Saturday PUNCH on Friday, stated that the Igbo have been meeting over the issue of the IPOB leader, although they did not bring details of their deliberations into the public space.

The Ooni of Ife, Oba Enitan Ogunwusi, had set up a 28-member committee made up of notable South-West personalities to look into the arrest of Yoruba Nation agitator, Sunday Adeyemo aka Sunday Igboho, and other issues relating to the South-West.

Some critics, however, slammed the south-easterners for allegedly not doing enough to stand united to fight for Kanu’s release.

The Ohanaeze spokesperson, reacting to the criticism, said it was not a statement of fact to say the Igbo were not united.

He said, “The Igbo are meeting, it’s just that we are not publicising it as such. We meet and reach an agreement on steps to take. It was the Igbo elders that met and told Senator Eyinnaya Abaribe to stand as a surety for Nnamdi Kanu when he needed one.

“The Ohanaeze also provided him with legal services when his trial started. To ensure the fair trial of Nnamdi Kanu, we constituted a legal team led by the National Legal Adviser of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide and eminent Igbo leaders to monitor the legal proceedings throughout the trial.”

Ogbonnia said the South-East elders would never leave Kanu to suffer as an orphan, and that they were meeting to make resolutions on the case.

He said, “We are not silent on the affairs of Nnamdi Kanu, we have been meeting. Ohaeneze have met, other Igbo elders have also met, so we are not quiet.

“We are a united people. The Igbo are one of the most united tribes in the world. I don’t want anyone to misrepresent the Igbo’s position on Nnamdi Kanu.

We have been holding meetings to make sure Nnamdi Kanu is not left as an orphan. We don’t want the matter to appear as if we left Nnamdi Kanu alone. We have been meeting to proffer solutions to the issue.”

Kanu, who is facing an 11-count charge of treason, treasonable felony, terrorism and illegal possession of firearms, among others, jumped bail in 2017 and left the country.

The Federal Government said security and intelligence agencies were on the trail of Kanu for over two years before he was rearrested, adding that the head of the outlawed IPOB movement was detained again on Sunday – without giving details on the location of his arrest.