Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu has warned individuals and groups against taking advantage of Nnamdi Kanu’s incarceration for selfish economic gain.
Kalu gave this warning while throwing his weight behind the recent call by a group of 50 members of the House of Representatives for a political solution to the continued detention of the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB.
He emphasized that the IPOB leader should not be used as a political tool for any political capital.
The deputy speaker also applauded the spread of the lawmakers who wrote to the President appealing for the release of Kanu by invoking Section 174 of the 1999 Constitution (As Amended) and section 107(1) of the administration of the Criminal Justice Act, 2015.
A statement on Tuesday by his chief press secretary, Levinus Nwabughiogu, expressed the optimism that the South East caucus would also rise in unison soon to support the effort.
He recalled the impact of the Peace in South East Project (PISE-P), a social advocacy group he founded that promotes the idea of a non-kinetic approach to resolving the security challenges and other sociological issues in the southeast geopolitical zone of Nigeria, Kalu said that the release of the IPoB leader was very crucial to the restoration of peace in the zone.
Kalu said that a milestone has been recorded in his private engagements with the authorities on achieving a political solution in Kanu’s case.
The deputy speaker, however, stated that such high-profile security issues are not products of advertisement in the media hence the need to keep them confidential in order not to jeopardize the gains so far made.
He also revealed that he has personally met with Nnamdi Kanu a couple of times in the Department of State Service (DSS) detention facility and expressed the hope that the IPoB leader will soon regain his freedom.
He said that during his last visit before the court appearance, he discussed and obtained a firm assurance on the side of the IPoB leader on the need for sustainable peace in the region, adding that the agreement has since been communicated to the delight of the authorities and Kanu’s younger brother as his family representative.
While thanking the lawmakers for their support, Kalu appealed to Ndi Igbo to remain calm and hopeful and avoid provocative comments on this issue in the light of the truism that the government of the day cannot be compelled either covertly or overtly.
The deputy speaker re-emphasised that the present APC administration under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has prioritized the South East for a facelift, assuring the people that the South East Development Commission (SEDC) bill which has been transmitted to the president for his assent is one of the obvious ways of rebuilding the region severely ravaged by the civil war.
“I want to sincerely express my profound appreciation to my colleagues from all parts of the country and different political parties who made up the 50 lawmakers that recently lent their voices to the appeal for the release of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu.”
Don’t use Nnamdi Kanu’s detention for economic gain – Deputy Speaker, Kalu warns