The family of the detained Leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, has declared that the resolution of the growing agitation for Biafra can only come through negotiations and not by the use of force against the agitators.
The family spoke as Anglican Bishops in the Church of Nigeria, Province of the Niger, have condemned the amended charges against the IPOB leader.
This is even as the Anambra State government has adopted Saturdays for normal school days following the weekly sit –at-home on Mondays declared by the IPOB.
Prince Emmanuel Kanu who spoke in a media interview urged the federal government to release the IPOB leader and engage him in dialogue, arguing that the issues he raised are germane.
His words:” Nnamdi Kanu is only asking for three things – justice, equity and fairness. You can’t achieve peace with guns and bullets. It’s impossible!
” Dialogue is the only way out. We are Biafrans. You can’t take that away from us. Nnamdi Kanu is the face of the agitation because the issues he is raising are genuine.
“People are no longer happy. The only person they can listen to is Nnamdi Kanu. If they are telling you to release him so that they can stop what they are doing, why can’t you harken to the voice of the people?What I want is fairness, equity and justice. If Biafra will bring me that, that’s what I stand for. But make no mistakes, where my brother stands, that is where I stand!”
According to Kanu’s family, some selfish politicians who see the IPOB Leader as a threat want him to be held perpetually behind bars.
“Some of the politicians are not being truthful to the powers in Abuja. They are working hard to make sure Nnamdi Kanu is not released. So, what is playing out is that those who were benefiting from what was happening before now are the people selling the wrong narrative about Nnamdi Kanu.”
He said that contrary to blackmails in some quarters, the Eastern Security Network, ESN, established by Kanu was inuagurated to contain attacks by killer herdsmen and bandits. ESN is designed to remain in our bushes and protect our farm lands and boundaries against invading terrorsists. That’s why ESN was established.”
Kanu’s family further said that some fifth columnists are behind the insecurity in the South East in their desperation to implicate IPOB.
” How about what happened in Owerri where a police officer shot a security personnel thinking he was an unknown gunman? How do you reconcile that?
“We play very dirty politics in Nigeria. You see a political party killing members of another political party and at the end of the day, they tag in on IPOB. But we are not buying into that.”
The family also said that IPOB founded by Kanu remains a non violent movement seeking the restoration of Biafra contrary to blackmails by those against the movement.
“When you want to hang a dog, you give it a bad name. IPOB is not a violent group but a peaceful movement.
” When people choose to stay at home and some others take a walk to their business centres, what happens is that one or two politicians will send people to go and kill them and tag it on IPOB
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