Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), has agreed to abide by the Nigerian government’s conditions for his release, a Nigerian senator, Enyinnaya Abaribe, said on Wednesday.
Mr Abaribe spoke to reporters after meeting with the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister for Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, in Abuja. A video clip that showed the senator making the comments has been circulating on social media.
Mr Abaribe, who represents Abia South District, led 14 other senators
from the South-east to meet with Mr Fagbemi, a Senior Advocate of
Nigeria, to plead for Mr Kanu’s release. The senator had, in 2017, stood
as surety for Mr Kanu. He spent some time in jail for failing to
produce Mr Kanu in court after the IPOB leader controversially fled
Nigeria when soldiers attacked his Abia home.
‘Kanu is in support of our plea’
Speaking to reporters shortly after his Wednesday meeting, the senator said the IPOB leader supported the move to initiate an agreement with the government for his release.
“On behalf of the caucus (of senators from the South-east), I met with Nnamdi Kanu myself on Monday between 2 p.m. and 3 p.m. and he is very supportive of this our plea to the government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,” he said.
Asked if Mr Kanu would heed the agreements that might be reached with the government, he responded: “Everybody is willing. He (Kanu) has also assured me that he is ready to fulfill any conditions that will lead to his early release.”
‘Not any conditions,’ lawyer clarifies
But Aloy Ejimakor, special counsel to Mr Kanu, refuted Mr Abaribe’s claim.
In a post on his X handle on Wednesday, Mr Ejimakor suggested that Mr Kanu did not accept to abide by just “any condition” for his release.
The lawyer said he and other members of Mr Kanu’s legal team visited him on Wednesday.
“The news that he (Kanu) will abide by ‘any conditions’ for his release is incorrect.
“What was meant is that he will abide by the ‘negotiated terms’ of
his release and on other matters related thereto, such as was also
agreed in August 2017,” he said.
The counsel uploaded a screenshot of an online Vanguard newspaper page with the headline: ‘Photo: South-east governors, Kanu agree on Biafra in a closed-door meeting.’
The publication, which had the photograph of the IPOB leader flanked by the then South-east governors, was dated 30 August 2017.
“If you’re wondering what I meant by ‘negotiated terms’, this screenshot bears news of one such negotiation in August 2017 before it was scuttled by Python Dance. Enough said,” Mr Ejimakor wrote in another post on the microblogging platform.
PREMIUM TIMES understands that Mr Kanu also met with the South-east Governors Forum at the Enugu State Government House in August 2017.
A video clip obtained by this newspaper showed the then chairperson
of the forum, who was then the Governor of Ebonyi State, Dave Umahi,
reading out a communiqué issued at the end of the meeting.
Mr Umahi, now minister of works, said the forum deliberated with the IPOB leader and noted his concerns.
The then chairperson said the forum agreed that the demands by the IPOB should not be discarded.
“Rather that the South-east governors shall immediately engage the leader of IPOB, Prince Nnamdi Kanu, and the entire leadership of IPOB to further meetings and dialogue with a view to quicken the resolutions of all issues amicably,” he said.
“And we also request from all concerned to give the South-east governors the opportunity to amicably sort out these problems,” Mr Umahi stated.
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