The President-General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, John Azuta-Mbata, has asked the federal government to release Nnamdi Kanu, the detained leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).
Azuta-Mbata said Kanu should be freed so he can seek proper medical attention.
He made the call in a short video message shared with journalists on Thursday.
Kanu was first arrested in 2015 on charges bordering on treasonable felony. He jumped bail in 2017 and fled the country before he was rearrested in Kenya in June 2021 in a controversial operation by Nigerian security operatives.
He has since been held in the custody of the Department of State Services (DSS).
Azuta-Mbata urged the federal government to explore a political solution to Kanu’s detention, adding that the country has nothing to gain by keeping him behind bars.
His words: “The government has no serious advantage in keeping him. It is important that the government ensures his safety and welfare, and that the government must allow him to go and get medical treatment as quickly as possible.
“The government must adopt a political solution to this situation. I do not believe that the government has any serious advantage in keeping him any further.”