By Jude Michael
As the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu, continues to be incarcerated despite a court order for his release, the Anambra State governor, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, has restated his commitment to ensuring Kanu’s release and his readiness to meet President Muhammadu Buhari on the matter.
Soludo spoke on Monday in a quarterly statewide briefing, meant to acquaint Anambra people with his activities in government.
He said he had booked a session with the president and was only waiting for an appointment where, he said, he hoped to discuss the issue of security in the South-East, and the release of Kanu.
It will be recalled that during the flag-off of the APGA campaigns in Awka, Soludo had called on the Federal Government to release Kanu, pledging to stand as a surety for Kanu if the FG found it hard to release him unconditionally.
In reply to Soludo’s request, the attorney general and minister of justice, Abubakar Malami, had said that Soludo had only made a statement, but had not applied to the court or to his office about Kanu’s release.
But speaking during the quarterly briefing, Soludo said he hoped to meet President Buhari and also speak with him on the imperative of releasing Kanu.
He said releasing Kanu would help him (Kanu) to intervene in areas where people used secessionist agitation as a means to perpetrate criminality.
He said: “On the issue of Nnamdi Kanu, his release does not mean that insecurity will be completely eliminated. The call is in the best interest of the South-East as a whole.
“He (Kanu) was saddened by the level of crime associated with the agitation when I visited him in prison. He called it an abomination.
“Everyone has now become a freedom fighter, using it as an avenue to commit crime. The truth is that if he is released, he will be able to distinguish between genuine freedom fighters and criminals.
“What is still holding him back is a political issue. I am awaiting confirmation of appointment with the president to hand him the letter officially.”
