Nnamdi Kanu, the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), has vehemently distanced himself from the ongoing insecurity in the Southeast region of Nigeria. Speaking to journalists inside the courtroom after proceedings, Kanu expressed his anger over the crisis and warned that those responsible for the wanton destruction of lives and property in the name of IPOB would face consequences.
Kanu alleged that the crisis in the Southeast persisted because some individuals within the government were complicit. He asserted that if he were free, no one would dare to impose sit-at-home orders disrupting legitimate businesses on Mondays.
He stated, “Anybody committing crime cannot go free. I swear it. Anybody committing crime in the east cannot go free. They are doing it because they know I am in DSS (custody). If I were to be outside, nobody can try this, and I suspect that some people in government are complicit. They are making money with the insecurity. They know if Nnamdi Kanu is outside, in two minutes, this nonsense will stop.”
Kanu emphasized that anyone involved in violence in the name of IPOB would face repercussions, asserting that peace would return to the region once he was free.
Meanwhile, some Southeast members of the House of Representatives, led by Hon. Ikenga Ugochinyere, lamented the rejection of Kanu’s bail application, considering it a setback for the healing process and peace in the region. They appealed to President Ahmed Bola Tinubu to intervene and discontinue Kanu’s trial, believing that granting bail would have facilitated discussions for peace in the Southeast.
Justice Binta Nyako of the Federal High Court in Abuja refused Kanu’s fresh bail application, ordering an accelerated trial instead. The judge emphasized that Kanu’s only recourse was to challenge the earlier refusal at the Court of Appeal. The trial is set to continue on March 20, with Nyako’s ruling on the bail application scheduled for March 19. Kanu has been in DSS custody since 2021, facing charges of treasonable felony after being extradited from Kenya.