…task protesters on peaceful conduct, warn security operatives against use of force
…Northern group kicks
By Steve Oko, Nnamdi Ojiego, Gabriel Ewepu and Gift ChapiOdekina
Igbo leaders including monarchs, clerics and the political elite, have unanimously declared their support for tomorrow’s free Nnamdi Kanu protest being championed by activist, Omoyele Sowore.
The protest, initiated by the former presidential candidate, seeks to compel the Federal Government to obey subsisting court orders directing the release of the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Mazi Nnamdi Kanu.
Sowore, who first announced the nationwide demonstration earlier this week via his verified social media handles, described it as a “mass action for justice, peace, and the rule of law.” According to him, the protest is not just about Kanu’s freedom but about the sanctity of court orders and the need to end selective justice in Nigeria.
National project
However, amid mixed feelings about the protest, Igbo leaders who spoke in separate interviews with Sunday Vanguard, said the clamour for Kanu’s release had become a national project, and urged President Ahmed Tinubu, to heed the call.
Linking the insecurity in the South- East to Kanu’s continued incarceration, Igbo leaders said his unconditional release would help restore peace to the region.
Speaking with Sunday Vanguard, former Senate President, Senator Adolphus Wabara, said the rally had his full support.
Wabara who is currently out of the country on a medical treatment said he would have personally joined the rally if he were around the country.
Noting that he had already conveyed his solidarity message to the chief promoter of the rally and Rights Activist, Omoleye Sowore, the former Senate President commended other supporters of the movement for their courage to stand against injustice.
Similarly, two time Minister for Education and Health respectively, Professor Ihechukwu Madubuike, said the rally was not Igbo rally but a national action against injustice.
He said that the continued detention of Kanu is no longer justifiable, hence the national outcry against the action.
The elder statesman hailed all Nigerians who decided to lend their voice against the action.
Boundary
He said:”Freedom has no tribal boundary; it’s a universal phenomenon. That’s why the whole world gathered together to stop slave trade many decades ago. Fight for freedom is in the DNA of every human being.
“ So, the free Nnamdi Kanu rally is the gathering of humanity in favour of. I totally support the movement to free Nnamdi Kanu”.
In the same vein, Abia monarchs have voiced support for the rally, saying it is in tandem with the continued appeals by Igbo leaders to the presidency.
The Chairman of Abia State Council of Traditional Rulers, HRM Eze Linus Nto Mbah, said time had come for Kanu to be released.
“ We have said it severally that it’s time to release Nnamdi Kanu to us. We want the Federal Government to release him to us, and let peace be restored to the South East”.
The monarch, however, appealed to the protesters to be peaceful.
He, also urged security operatives not to use force against the protesters but to safeguard them to ensure that criminals do not infiltrate their ranks to foment trouble.
Adding his voice, Methodist Archbishop of Umuahia Diocese, Archbishop Raphael Opoko, described the rally as a pan Nigerian movement.
He urged both the protesters and security operatives not to introduce violence into the rally.
The cleric said:”The people who are marching and security agencies are all Nigerians. If they believe that they are all Nigerians, then then should ensure it is peaceful.
“They all should be aware that any injustice to one is injustice to all”.
Archbishop Opoko said that the release of Kanu is long overdue, arguing that if the same Government is negotiating with armed bandits, it should have no justification not to release Kanu who is merely seeking justice for his people.
“Yes, the case of Nnamdi Kanu has been in the courts, but the same courts had given verdicts in favour of him but government refused to obey it. “They are charging him with terrorism but where you now find terrorists, those who are known to be terrorists, carrying guns and negotiating with government. Except government is saying that those trending pictures and videos are AI generated.
“A situation where a local government chairman is signing peace deal with bandits can not be justified if a freedom fighter cannot be freed . These are the injustices that make people to be restless. And the government should address these issues.
“If government do not address injustices, even if you turn the whole country into one party system, the day the youths will say enough is enough, it will be too terrible.
“Why is it that we cannot just take the resilience, respond to the resilience of Nigerians, and begin to do things right?
Why can’t Mr President listened to the yearnings of the masses concerning Mazi Nnamdi Kanu.
“ He should remember the saying that ‘Those who make peaceful change difficult, make violent change inevitable.”
The cleric also sued for peace during the protest.
“As they go in their protest march, do not touch or destroy anything. Follow the rules of engagement in peaceful protest. Make your points known. Deliver your message to the authorities.”
Ndigbo
Meanwhile, Igbo women under the aegis of Igbo Women Assembly, IWA, have also voiced their support for the rally, urging participants to be peaceful.
National President of IWA, Lolo Nneka Chimezie, said she had already moved into Abuja to participate in the rally.
She said Igbo women had been mobilised to fully identify with the rally, explaining that Kanu is a proud son of Ndigbo who committed no crime to warrant his continued incarceration.
Lolo Chimezie said Igbo women and other women from different parts of the country would join the rally and ensure it is peaceful.
She pleaded with security operatives not to use force against the protesters.
“ Kanu is our son, and we cannot abandon him. We plead with Mr President who is busy granting pardon to people to also use his prerogative of mercy and free Nnamdi Kanu”.
On his part, Founder and Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Chief Chekwas Okorie, described the protest as a just and courageous step, aligning with what he termed “the collective frustration of Ndigbo.”
According to Okorie, Kanu’s continued detention, despite multiple court rulings in his favour, is a “national embarrassment.” He faulted the circumstances of Kanu’s rendition from Kenya, calling it “a crime that should scandalize any country that claims to uphold the rule of law.”
“It’s a good thing. I commend Sowore for that initiative. From the beginning, there was no basis for his detention,” Okorie said. “The government has found nothing concrete against him, yet he remains in custody, while real terrorists are granted amnesty and even reintegrated into society. It’s a shame. Nnamdi Kanu has become a symbol of the Igbo man’s dilemma in Nigeria. When you say Nnamdi Kanu is in prison, it is actually the entire Igbo nation that is in prison.”
Justice
Similarly, former President of the Igbo socio-cultural group, Aka Ikenga, Chief Goddy Uwazurike, said any effort to secure Kanu’s freedom deserves support.
“My belief is that anything anybody can do to get Nnamdi Kanu out is good,” he said. “If somebody wants to protest so that the government will let him go, I support it. If somebody wants to shout about the injustice of releasing terrorists while keeping Kanu, I’m on the same side. I want him out.”
In the same vein, the National President of Ohanaeze Youth Council (OYC), Comrade Igboayaka Igboayaka, described Sowore’s call for a nationwide protest as “the first-ever pan-Nigerian demonstration for justice.”
Igboayaka said the October 20 protest at the Presidential Villa was not Sowore’s personal campaign but a collective call for fairness, equity, and justice.
“The October 20th national protest is not Comrade Sowore’s protest, but a pan-Nigerian movement demanding the unconditional release of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu. It embodies a call for national healing and genuine reconciliation”, he stated.
Terrorist
The Ohanaeze youth leader said the protest symbolized a rejection of selective justice, noting that while Boko Haram insurgents and bandits in the North have been pardoned and reintegrated, Kanu remains detained “for merely calling for a referendum.”
“The government cannot continue to apply one law for the North and another for the Southeast,” Igboayaka warned. “If Nnamdi Kanu is considered a terrorist, then he should be pardoned as others have been. But if his only crime is seeking a referendum, he deserves to be discharged and acquitted.”
The OYO president urged President Bola Tinubu to listen to the growing national voice demanding Kanu’s release, warning that continued detention could further polarize the country.
“We call on Igbo leaders, governors, lawmakers, religious and traditional heads to rise and demand his unconditional release.
In the interest of justice and national stability, President Tinubu should direct the Attorney-General to withdraw all charges against him, “ he added.
Northern group kicks
Meanwhile, the Coalition of Northern Groups, CNG, yesterday, kicked against planned protest for the unconditional release of the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, Nnamdi Kanu.
Speaking at a press conference held in Abuja, the National Coordinator CNG, Comrade Jamilu Charanchi, said the court should have its course and decide on Kanu’s fate and not sentimental moves. He described the planned protest in as emotional blackmail to forcefully release Kanu from detention. Charanchi asserted that the enormity of the alleged offence by Kanu against the Nigerian state is not something people should be fighting for his release.
He added that the actions of Kanu have led to the killing of innocent lives and causing serious setback in the South East socioeconomic development.
He said: “The Coalition of Northern Groups, CNG, therefore: condemns unequivocally the planned protests for Kanu’s release, describing them as reckless, provocative, and a direct affront to Nigeria’s sovereignty and judiciary.
“It urges federal government to see Kanu’s trial to its logical conclusion, ensuring that justice is neither delayed nor diluted under political pressure.
“It calls on security agencies to remain alert and proactive in preventing any breakdown of law and order during these orchestrated protests.
“The CNG demands an immediate investigation into individuals and organizations funding, coordinating, or promoting these destabilizing protests under the guise of human rights advocacy.
“ The coalition appeals to patriotic Nigerians, especially peace-loving citizens of the South-e?East, to reject calls to anarchy, embrace dialogue, and support genuine efforts toward development, peace, and unity.
“No amount of street protest or emotional manipulation will erase these atrocities or compel the Nigerian state to compromise the rule of law.”
Similarly, National Youth Council of Nigeria (NYCN) Interim Management Committee, has cautioned youths against participating in a planned nationwide protest scheduled for October 20, 2025, citing security concerns and a court order restraining the demonstration.
In a statement signed by its Chairman,Mr. Buhari Shehu, the NYCN disclosed that government, through the Nigerian Police Force, had secured an order from the Federal High Court in Abuja restraining the organizers from holding or participating in the planned protest.
The Council also referenced a security advisory issued by the United States Embassy in Abuja, warning American citizens in Nigeria to avoid areas where the protest might take place.
NYCN said the advisory underscores potential risks associated with the planned demonstration.
“In light of this development, we urge all Nigerian youths to exercise restraint and stay out of trouble. We are concerned that the planned protest may lead to a breakdown of law and order, which could put lives and property at risk,” the statement read in part.
Kanu has been in DSS custody since June 2021, facing a seven-count bordering on terrorism and treasonable felony.
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