The Igwe of Ezema Olo in Ezeagu LGA, Enugu State, His Royal Highness, Ambassador Dr. Lawrence Agubuzu, has called on President Bola Tinubu to release Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), proposing that he be sent back to Kenya or the United Kingdom if his continued presence in Nigeria is deemed undesirable.
Kanu, who was arrested in Kenya during the administration of late President Muhammadu Buhari, was returned to Nigeria to face terrorism charges. He was sentenced to life imprisonment by the Federal High Court last year and is currently held at the maximum security prison in Sokoto.
Speaking at the 2026 National Traditional and Religious Leaders Summit on Health at the State House Conference Centre in Abuja, Agubuzu highlighted the unrest Kanu’s imprisonment has caused among youth in the Southeast.
“Having listened to His Royal Majesty, the Ooni of Ife, urging all of us to work as one family, I thought this was a good moment,” Agubuzu said. “But while the Ooni plans to confer a high honor on Sunday Igboho, whom we in my part of the country see as the Southwest counterpart of Nnamdi Kanu, my heart aches knowing Kanu remains in Sokoto. Sir, the ball is in your court. Bring this man out, or if he is not wanted in Nigeria, return him to Kenya or London. We cannot move forward unless we face the truth.”
The summit, themed “The Role of Traditional and Religious Leaders in Advancing the Nigeria Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative,” aimed to boost community participation in health sector reforms but took an unexpected turn when Agubuzu raised the issue of Kanu’s detention during the goodwill messages.
He further expressed disappointment that President Tinubu missed the opening speech by the Ooni of Ife, who had encouraged unity among the country’s leaders.
Agubuzu’s appeal adds to calls from several prominent Igbo leaders seeking clemency for the IPOB leader, amid rising tensions among Southeastern youths.
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