BOSTON, USA — The World Igbo Congress (WIC) has urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to order the release of detained Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) leader, Nnamdi Kanu, describing the move as a historic step that would affirm Tinubu’s reputation as a freedom fighter and champion of democracy.
WIC Chairman, Festus Okere, made the appeal during the organization’s annual congress in Boston, Massachusetts, in a statement issued at the weekend.
“Your Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, World Igbo Congress, the Organization of and for all Igbos in Diaspora, once again, join the world to appeal to you to release our son, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu,” Okere said.
He argued that courts both in Nigeria and abroad had declared Kanu’s detention unlawful, stressing that freeing him would not only give Igbos a genuine sense of inclusion but also promote peace across the country.
“Your history as a freedom fighter and for democracy is well known. Releasing Mazi Nnamdi Kanu would cement that history for the Igbos. HE Sir, please free Mazi Nnamdi Kanu as other similarly situated non-Igbos have been freed,” Okere stated.
The WIC boss emphasized that Nigeria’s survival depends on equity, justice, and fairness, adding that “for Nigeria to survive, tribes must die.”
Speaking on the theme of the convention, Okere described it as a wake-up call for the Igbo nation.
“This is not just the cry of a cock. It is the call of history. It is not merely a sound that announces the dawn. It is a summons to consciousness; a cultural code engraved in our bones. It is daybreak—wake up,” he said.
Okere rallied Igbos at home and abroad to remain united, warning against internal betrayal and cultural disconnection. He cited the legacies of late Igbo leaders such as Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, Dr. Alex Ekwueme, General Emeka Ojukwu, and others as a guide for future generations.
He also condemned what he described as the “deliberate exclusion” of Igbos from governance since the end of the Biafran civil war, despite their immense contributions to Nigeria’s growth.
“Our collective survival as Ndi Igbo in Nigeria is under siege. The continued, deliberate exclusion of Ndi Igbo in the governance of Nigeria… has remained a contemptuous and disrespectful disregard for the Igbos who continue to contribute more than others to Nigeria’s existence and development,” Okere declared.
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