Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue State has called for the release of Indigenous People of Biafra leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu by President Muhammadu Buhari to show he is committed to peace process in the country.
Newsonline reports that Governor Ortom stated that the incarceration of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu by the Department of State Service, DSS, does not show that President Buhari takes peace in the country seriously.
Governor Ortom stated that Nnamdi Kanu’s case requires a political solution because it is a socio-political challenge.
Governor Ortom challenged the idea of the Federal government pardoning Boko-Haram members who according to him pose a greater threat to the country, but cannot extend the same peace process to Nnamdi Kanu.
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governor Ortom said, “If the peace process in the country is to be taken seriously, I call for the release of the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, Nnamdi Kanu. This is a socio-political challenge that must be dealt with politically.
“Even Boko Haram members who pose a greater threat to the country’s unity have often been pardoned, freed and reintegrated into the society.”
Recall that Mazi Nnamdi Kanu was arrested and repatriated from Kenya, under a condition that is yet challenged by his lawyers as an extrajudicial rendition by the Federal government.
Ohanaeze Ndigbo, the South-East apex socio-political organization, and other Igbo leaders had approached President Buhari for a political solution to the issue of Nnamdi Kanu, but the president refused.
Since the repatriation of Nnamdi Kanu in 2021, the IPOB leader has been in DSS custody.