Peter Obi decries insecurity in Nigeria, calls for Nnamdi Kanu’s release

Briefing journalists in Onitsha yesterday, the former governor of Anambra State warned that if nothing was done to solve the country’s security concerns, Nigeria might become a failed nation.

He also lamented the agitations in the South-East, urging leaders to double their efforts to address the situation.

“The first primary work of government is the security of lives and property. It is the foundation which people can live in any nation because no one can stay in an insecure place,” he said.

“It is worrisome what is happening in Nigeria with the news of killings, abductions, and other vices that have made Nigeria one of the most insecure places on the earth. In fact, it is leading to a failed nation.

“I commend the government for their efforts so far, but there is a need to do more, and all leaders must come together to join hands and fight this. In the South-east, there is a need for the governors to come together to be able to tackle it.

“Even in economic agenda, I want to see the South-east governors work more closely. We want to see them come together and also bring together other groups in the zone.”

During the interview, the LP presidential candidate urged the federal government to release Nnamdi Kanu, the arrested leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).

He maintained that there was no need for the IPOB leader’s continued arrest because he had already been acquitted by a Nigerian court, which was then overturned by the Supreme Court.

“I don’t see any reason for his continuous detention, especially as the courts have granted him bail. The government must obey the court.

“The rule of law is an intricate asset that we must cherish and live with. I use this opportunity to plead with the federal government to ensure that all those who are in similar conditions are released and discussed,’’ he said.

“We are in a democracy, and we should not be doing things that are arbitrary and not within the law.”

The embattled IPOB leader was initially detained in 2015, during the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari.

On October 13, 2022, the Court of Appeal in Abuja found that Kanu was extraordinary renditioned to Nigeria, which violated the country’s extradition treaty as well as his fundamental human rights.

The court dismissed the Nigerian government’s terrorism allegations against Kanu and ordered his release from the SSS facility.

However, the government refused to release the IPOB leader, claiming that if he was released, Kanu would be unavailable in further court processes and that his release would increase insecurity in his home region of the South-east.

However, the Supreme Court reversed Kanu’s acquittal by the Appeal Court. On December 15, the Supreme Court ruled that his trial be continued in the Federal High Court in Abuja.