A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Joe Igbokwe, has criticised Nollywood veteran, Rita Edochie, for urging the Federal Government to release the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Mazi Nnamdi Kanu.

Naijaonpoint understands that in a post on her Instagram page, Edochie appealed to President Bola Tinubu’s administration to consider granting freedom to the IPOB leader, arguing that his release would pave the way for lasting peace in the South-East.

According to her, Kanu is “too unique to be in captivity,” insisting that “everything he said from the beginning to the very end has happened.”

The actress maintained that peace in the region remains tied to Kanu’s fate, adding that continued detention only fuels agitation and discontent.

But Igbokwe, in a sharp rebuttal on Facebook, dismissed the actress’s plea, describing it as “unbelievable.”

He wrote: “I just read Mrs Rita Edochie’s plea for Nnamdi Kanu’s freedom and I feel like vomiting. Maybe she did not know what happened in the South East from 2015 to 2025. This is unbelievable. Mama biko nakpuo be ji. Okwua kariri gi. Alu melu.”

The APC chieftain, a vocal critic of IPOB activities, suggested that Edochie’s remarks downplayed the violence, killings, and instability that engulfed the South-East over the last decade.

Naijaonpoint reports that Kanu has been in detention since his re-arrest in 2021 after fleeing Nigeria in 2017.

His trial on terrorism-related charges has continued to generate heated debates, with calls from various groups and individuals demanding either his release or a political resolution to the crisis.

While many in the South-East believe freeing Kanu will ease tensions, others argue that doing so without accountability could embolden separatist violence.