Our Reporter, Abuja
Rights activist and former presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, says former President Goodluck Jonathan has agreed to meet President Bola Ahmed Tinubu over the continued detention of the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Mazi Nnamdi Kanu.
Sowore disclosed this after a meeting with Jonathan in Abuja on Saturday, where both leaders discussed the need for a just and lasting resolution to Kanu’s case.
“Earlier today in Abuja, I met with former President Goodluck Jonathan to discuss the continued incarceration of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu,” Sowore said in a social media post.
He quoted Jonathan as acknowledging the “urgent and compelling need to address this matter decisively and justly,” and commended the former President for recognizing the importance of resolving the issue in the interest of peace, fairness, and national healing.
“Particularly assuring was that he promised to meet President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to discuss this issue as soon as possible,” Sowore added.
According to Sowore, Jonathan’s position aligns with that of several other prominent Nigerians who have called for Kanu’s release. These include former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, human rights lawyer Femi Falana (SAN), and former Senator Shehu Sani, among others across political and regional divides.
He maintained that Kanu’s detention was politically motivated, noting that the IPOB leader’s agitation stemmed from long-standing issues of marginalization in Nigeria.
“Like other ethnic and regional activists whose politically motivated cases have been withdrawn or dismissed, Nnamdi Kanu should also be released without further delay,” Sowore said.
The activist further appealed to political, cultural, and religious leaders across the country to unite in demanding justice and freedom for Kanu.
“I invite my brothers and sisters from the South-East — Peter Obi, Charles Chukwuma Soludo, Alex Otti, Francis Nwifuru, Peter Mbah, Hope Uzodinma, Obiageli Ezekwesili, and the leadership of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide — as well as Nigerians of conscience everywhere, to lend their voices to this call,” he said.
Sowore reaffirmed his commitment to peaceful mobilization for Kanu’s freedom, insisting that justice must prevail.
“Nnamdi Kanu should be set free,” he declared.
Kanu has remained in the custody of the Department of State Services (DSS) since his extraordinary rendition from Kenya in 2021, despite several court rulings ordering his release.
