Stephen Ukandu, Umuahia
Igbo women, under the aegis of the Igbo Women Assembly (IWA), have declared their full support for the October 20 nationwide protest championed by rights activist Omoyele Sowore for the release of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu.
In a statement on Saturday, the National President of IWA, Lolo Nneka Chimezie, announced the group’s “full and total support” for the initiative, describing it as “a step in the right direction.”
The pan-Igbo women’s group, which has been vocal about Kanu’s continued detention, said it would mobilize women across Igboland to join the protest.
IWA urged all Nigerians—irrespective of tribe, religion, or political affiliation—to participate in the peaceful demonstration against what it called “protracted injustice.”
The group expressed delight that notable figures from outside the South-East have continued to lend their voices to the growing clamour for Kanu’s release.
IWA described Kanu as “a freedom fighter and justice advocate who is being persecuted for speaking out against the oppression of his people and exposing the hidden agenda of the oppressors.”
According to the group, if the government can negotiate with real bandits who have taken up arms against the country—killing both security agents and innocent citizens—then releasing Kanu should not be considered a big deal.
The women commended “some Igbo leaders, both dead and alive,” who have shown genuine commitment to Kanu’s freedom and urged them not to relent.
IWA particularly acknowledged the efforts of Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, Rep. Obi Aguocha, Peter Obi, among others, in seeking Kanu’s release.
The group also lauded Sowore and other prominent Nigerians, including former President Goodluck Jonathan and former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, who have joined the growing calls for Kanu’s freedom.
IWA maintained that Kanu’s continued incarceration constitutes a grave injustice that all Nigerians should unite to resist.
The group again appealed to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to heed the mounting appeals and release Kanu unconditionally.
It urged all “true Nigerians” to identify with the protest, emphasizing that injustice to one is injustice to all.
“We want Nigerians to unite against injustice and intimidation, against the suppression of free speech and the abuse of the rule of law.
“Mazi Nnamdi Kanu stood against these ills, and that is why they came after him.
“Ordinary Nigerians must unite to resist the disregard for court orders.
“We must not allow politicians to exploit religion, tribe, and party lines to divide us while they themselves remain united.
Nigerians must stand with Kanu, whose warnings and predictions have all come to pass—that’s why the system is fighting him,” the statement read.
Kanu has been detained at the Abuja headquarters of the Department of State Services (DSS) since June 2021 following his extraordinary rendition from Kenya.
