Hon. Jude Idimogu, a former Lagos lawmaker, has appealed to President Bola Tinubu to grant clemency to Nnamdi Kanu, detained leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).
Kanu, who is facing terrorism charges at the federal high court in Abuja, has been in custody since his repatriation from Kenya in June 2021 under controversial circumstances.
In an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday, Idimogu urged Igbo leaders, south-east governors and other Nigerians to unite in appealing to Tinubu for Kanu’s release.
“I want to plead with our president, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, to kindly see the need to use political means to grant Nnamdi Kanu clemency,” he said.
Idimogu, a member of the All Progressives Congress (APC), said such a move would not be forgotten by the south-east and could help the party’s chances in the 2027 elections.
“If this is done, I believe the insecurity situation and tension in the south-east will reduce, if not completely curbed and eradicated,” he said.
The former lawmaker, who is the deputy leader of Ndigbo in Lagos APC, said Kanu’s release would also revive economic activities in the region, which have been disrupted by IPOB’s sit-at-home order.
He added: “Mr President, kindly look at the south-east case and bring back businesses and trading that have long stagnated in the region because of insecurity.
“South-east used to be home to a lot of people before now. It just suddenly changed to be dens of insecurity and other vices. This can be arrested with Kanu’s release.”
Idimogu described Tinubu as “a father with a compassionate heart” and urged him to free Kanu to stabilise the region.