The Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Amb. Bianca Ojukwu, has said releasing the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, would facilitate return of peace to the South East.
Kanu, who has been in the DSS custody since 2021, is being tried for alleged treason.
Bianca made the demand for his release in a speech they delivered at the 13th Memorial Anniversary of her of the death of Odumegwu Ojukwu on Tuesday in Owerri.
It had ‘Unifying the Igbo Race’ as its theme.
Bianca who was the wife of late Ojukwu advised the people of the South-East to look inwards and appraise the Igbo race that made them who they are.
The minister admonished them to be their brother’s keeper and love one another.
“In the olden days, we had Igbo unions in places like Kano, Lagos and Kaduna, among others, where people discussed matters affecting them and why they must unite.
“Today, we are celebrating Ojukwu, our uncommon man, a man who stood for peace and equality for every person,” she said.
She expressed dissatisfaction that the peaceful atmosphere, which Igboland was known for, no longer obtained in the region.
“There are so many killings, unrest and kidnappings going on today in the region, which is not how it used to be,” Ojukwu said.
She regretted that many people from the region could not go home again to bury their dead or give their children out to marriage due to the spate of unrest and insecurity.
She urged the people perpetrating the evil acts to desist from it and embrace peace.
She pointed out that some of the perpetrators were from the region and urged them to allow peace to reign.
She condemned the act of killing people in the region “in the name of sit-at-home directive from non-state actors”.
She said that such was not what her husband stood for.
“Many people from the South-East have left the region for other cities like Lagos and other places, due to the spate of insecurity in the area.
“I was sad when an Igbo person in U. S. told me that they are making donations in America to buy burial ground to bury their dead relations as insecurity in the region doesn’t allow them to do that at home come home,” she fumed.
Ojukwu said that the release of Kanu would help to ensure total restoration of peace in Igboland.
According to her, if Kanu is released, it will fasttrack development in the region.
