The national president of the Ohanaeze Youth Council has called on President Bola Tinubu to release Indigenous People of Biafra leader Nnamdi Kanu as a step toward national healing and reconciliation on Nigeria’s 66th Independence Day.
Igboayaka Igboayaka made the appeal in a statement issued on Thursday, arguing that the anniversary should prompt the government to address longstanding grievances and rebuild trust with communities that feel alienated.
“Mazi Nnamdi Kanu’s ordeal remains an open wound to Ndigbo, and I appeal to President Bola Tinubu to demonstrate statesmanship by exploring every lawful political solution available to release Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, which is geared towards national reconciliation,” Igboayaka said.
Kanu was convicted on seven terrorism-related counts by the Federal High Court in Abuja on November 20, 2025, and sentenced to life imprisonment along with additional prison terms. He has appealed the conviction and sentence and is currently held at a correctional facility in Sokoto.
Igboayaka said the continued detention remained a sensitive issue in the South-East and required a broader national conversation aimed at reducing tensions. He stressed that the demand should not be seen as a rejection of the judicial process but as an appeal for dialogue.
“We cannot speak about freedom, independence and the sacrifices of our past heroes while ignoring the divisions and grievances that continue to affect our people today,” he said. “Independence should remind us of the value of liberty and the responsibility of government to build trust among its citizens.”
The youth leader argued that Tinubu had an opportunity to make national reconciliation part of his administration’s legacy by engaging stakeholders and pursuing a peaceful approach to the Kanu case. Such a move, he said, could help restore confidence between the federal government and sections of the Igbo population who feel disconnected from the Nigerian project.
Igboayaka also renewed calls for justice and equity, alleging that the Igbo people had been deprived of both since the end of the Nigerian Civil War in 1970. “Those who enjoy Nigeria’s independence, but conspired against Nnamdi Kanu, a leader of Indigenous People of Biafra, have murdered sleep and they will sleep no more,” he stated.
The appeal comes amid ongoing demands from some political and community figures for a political or negotiated resolution of the case.
