Nnamdi Kanu’s release, necessary step towards national healing – Group

Kanu

Executive Director, Rule of Law Accountability and Advocacy Centre RULAAC Mr Okechukwu Nwanguma, has said that the release of the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPoB, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, “is a necessary step towards national healing”.This is as he described the disturbing insecurity in the South East as “a direct consequence of state repression”.

”The insecurity ravaging the south is in large part, the direct consequence of state repression , by criminalizing dissent voices, militarizing civilian life “, he added.

Nwanguma who featured while speaking at the Ikengaonline town hall meeting on Thursday night, further argued that is is unfair to be pointing accusing fingers at IPoB for security breaches in the zone, arguing that the cause of insecurity in the region is multi dimensional.

He said:” What I would consider the path towards peace, is Kanu’s immediate release. It is not a concession. It is a necessary step towards national healing.

“Releasing Nnamdi Kanu will do a number of things. One, it will remove a major rallying point exploited by violent elements. It will rebuild trust between government and southeast citizens.

” It will signal that Nigeria remains a democracy governed by law, not selective power. Peace cannot be achieved through coercion. Even in the Niger Delta, peace came only when government replaced bullets with dialogue.

“That same wisdom must guide the response to the southeast crisis. Justice is an imperative.”

Nwanguma who said he was among those who had criticized “Kanu’s rhetoric in the past for being extreme and divisive”, argued that his continued incarceration and trial cast dark image on Nigeria’s respect for the rule of law.

“The issue today is whether Nigeria will continue to ignore all court orders and deepen alienation. Or whether it will choose justice, dialogue, and inclusion as the path to peace.

“The question before us is not about agreeing with Kanu’s ideology. It is about upholding the rule of law and reaffirming that no region or citizen is above or beneath the law.”

Nwanguma said that the continued detention of Kanu “is unjust, unlawful, and counterproductive”, adding that “It perpetuates alienation and mistrust.”

“It is fuelling the insecurity that is devastating our region. Nigeria cannot claim to be a democracy while disobeying its own courts. Releasing Kanu will not weaken the Nigerian state. It will strengthen it.

” It will reaffirm that justice is the foundation of peace and that all Nigerians are equal before the law.Injustice divides nations. Justice heals them. Let the Nigerian government choose justice and let the southeast breathe again.” Vanguard