Senator Orji Uzor Kalu, representing Abia North, has called for a political solution to the ongoing legal issues involving the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu.
Kalu made the appeal while reacting to Kanu’s recent conviction by the Federal High Court in Abuja on terrorism-related charges. He said he has consistently engaged the Federal Government on ways to resolve the matter.
“The problem of Nnamdi Kanu is what we need to solve through a political process,” the senator said during an interview on Politics Today. “I have been working with the Federal Government of Nigeria on how to solve this issue, and nobody should question the decision of Justice Omotosho.”
He noted that while Kanu’s legal team would head to the Court of Appeal to challenge the judgment, he plans to meet with the Attorney General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi, to advise the President on the matter.
Kalu lamented the loss of lives and livelihoods in the South-East, attributing the situation to the activities of IPOB. According to him, dozens of Igbo people have been killed and many businesses destroyed over the years.
The senator also recalled his efforts in 2017 to secure Kanu’s temporary release. He said he mounted significant pressure on former President Muhammadu Buhari, with support from Mamman Daura and then Attorney General Abubakar Malami.
“I know the pressure I personally put on President Buhari before he was released in April 2017,” Kalu said.
Kanu’s case has been in court since 2015. Last Thursday, Justice James Omotosho sentenced him to life imprisonment on four counts of terrorism, including counts one, four, five, and six. He also imposed 20 years imprisonment on Count Three and five years on Count Seven, with all sentences set to run concurrently.
The judge held that the prosecution proved its case beyond reasonable doubt and that evidence showed Kanu ordered the sit-at-home directives in the South-East. He added that Kanu’s broadcasts constituted acts of terrorism.
Aloy Ejimakor, a consultant to the IPOB leader, has vowed to challenge the life sentence.
