The lawmaker representing Abia North, Senator Orji Kalu, has urged that a political approach be adopted to address the legal dispute involving the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, “Nnamdi Kanu,” and the Federal Government.
Kalu made the appeal while responding to the recent conviction of Kanu by the Federal High Court in Abuja on terrorism-related charges. He stated that he has been in discussions with the government regarding the matter.
“The problem of Nnamdi Kanu is what we need to solve [via a] political process,” the APC senator said during an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today.
He added, “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.”
Kalu noted that although Kanu’s legal team intends to challenge the Federal High Court’s ruling at the Appeal Court, he plans to reach out to the Attorney General, Lateef Fagbemi, to advise the President on the matter.
He lamented the widespread job losses, economic disruption, and deaths recorded in the South-East due to the activities associated with IPOB.
The senator also recounted how he pressed then-President Muhammadu Buhari to secure Kanu’s release in April 2017, acknowledging the contributions of Mamman Daura and former Attorney General Abubakar Malami during that period.
Last Thursday, Justice James Omotosho sentenced “Nnamdi Kanu” to life imprisonment on terrorism charges, ruling that the prosecution had proven its case beyond a reasonable doubt. The judge stated that Kanu’s broadcasts and orders contributed to acts of terrorism in the South-East. Additional sentences of 20 years and five years were also issued on separate counts, to run concurrently.
However, a consultant to the IPOB leader, Aloy Ejimakor, has vowed to challenge the judgment.