Nnamdi Kanu: Anxiety in South-East, South-South

Kanu (file photo)

..ADF condemns arrest, Family seeks fair trial

….Ohanaeze keeps mum

…Nigerians call for negotiation

By Emeka Alex Duru

Tension, anxiety, sum the mood in the South East and South-South geo-political regions, following the re-arrest and re-arraignment of leader of the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB) Nnamdi Kanu, investigations by TheNiche, revealed. This is even as a non-governmental organisation, Alaigbo Development Foundation (ADF), described his arrest as unfortunate, while Igbo apex group, Ohanaeze, keeps mum, disowning earlier statement attributed to it.

Kanu was arrested and brought back to the country on Sunday, according to the Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Ibrahim Malami. He was re-arraigned on Tuesday and was remanded in Department of State Security (DSS) custody.

In the South-East and parts of South-South where the IPOB leader commands large following, there are concerns on what happens to him and his organisation, afterwards. In Imo State, which for some time, had served as the hotbed for IPOB activism, residents received the news of Kanu’s arrest with mixed reactions. Officials of the government who spoke on condition of anonymity, saw the development as a welcome relief, stressing that it would save the Gov Hope Uzodimma administration the distractions it had encountered in the hands of IPOB.

“Let us hope that this will bring about the much cherished peace in the state. We cannot operate in such lawless and uncertain climate. At least, the governor can now settle down and deliver governance to the people”, said an aide to Uzodimma in a telephone conversation. Same feeling of relief was replicated in government circles in Abia, Ebonyi and Rivers State where there IPOB presence has been significant.

There are however fears by the youths of Kanu’s arrest emboldening security agents to be more ferocious in dealing with the people. In Orlu, Imo state where IPOB militant wing, the Eastern Security Network (ESN), had had regular clashes with security operatives, there is fear of reprisals from the soldiers and police stationed in various parts of the city. “Our fears have been multiplied. We are afraid of going out. We needed to be assured that we are safe with the soldiers and policemen who are now at liberty to deal with us the way the like”, mooted Chidi Nweke, an auto mechanic in a chat with our correspondent.

Elsewhere, the Alaigbo Development Foundation, described Kanu’s arrest as very unfortunate both for the continued existence of the crisis-ridden Nigerian federation and the struggle for the self-determination and emancipation of Igboland from the artificial Nigerian federation. In a release by its President, Prof Uzodimma Nwala and chairman, bureau of media publicity, Abia Onyike, ADF argued that “the arrest or elimination of Nnamdi Kanu from the scene of the struggle is most unlikely to result in the smashing of the spirit of the longing for freedom of the Igbo Nation or that of other Nationalities that are equally struggling to free themselves from the chaotic Nigerian federation”.

Kanu family of Afara-Ukwu, Umuahia, Abia State, has also weighed in asking the Federal Government not to manhandle their son in course of his detention and trials.

His younger brother, Emmanuel Kanu, who spoke on behalf of the family, maintained that Nnamdi committed no crime to deserve any persecution, stressing that the IPOB leader was merely asking for the freedom of Biafrans.

Other Nigerians advise the government to exploit the opportunity offered by Kanu’s arrest to negotiate with him and his IPOB group. Dr. Obari Gomba, of the University of Port Harcourt, is of the opinion that Kanu’s arrest does not cancel the necessity of negotiation and peace.  According to him, it is one thing to arrest or kill key actors in the crisis of Nigeria; it is another thing to address the factors that provoke uprising, violence, and irredentism.  

In his words, “The might of Nigeria can break the protests, jail the agitators, kill the dissidents, raze down communities, and create a million graveyards.

“But might alone cannot take Nigeria out of its night. Reform Nigeria now. Renegotiate Nigeria now. Restructure Nigeria now. Nothing less will give us peace”.

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