The Yoruba socio-cultural organisation Afenifere, has called on President Bola Tinubu to release the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu, saying given the controversies surrounding his trial, it is no longer guaranteed that fair hearing would be served.
The group in a communique on Tuesday reminded Tinubu that in a situation where it has become clear that Kanu cannot get justice in any court in Nigeria, the sensible thing to do is to resort to political solution.
The communique issued after the group’s general meeting, presided over by the group’s deputy leader Oba Oladipo Olaitan, at Isanya-Ogbo, the hometown of its leader, Ayo Adebanjo added that the FG has no justifiable reason to continue to hold Kanu.
The communique signed by both Olaitan and the National Publicity Secretary of the group Justice Faloye, Afenifere argued that Kanu should be released in the interest of justice and national reconciliation.
Describing Kanu as a political detainee, the group said “Afenifere notes that from all circumstances, particularly since his abduction in 2021 and repatriation to Nigeria and since then subjected to controversial and conflicting legal proceedings in different courts by which his fair trial may no longer be guaranteed in the opinion of reasonable members of the public, it is clear that Nnamdi Kanu is undoubtedly a political detainee,” the communique reads.
“There is no justifiable reason to continue to keep him in detention without trial,” the communique added.
Afenifere also reiterated the call for state police, saying the vast territory, population, and federation cannot be effectively and meaningfully secured with a single command of unitary police.
“Afenifere reiterates the position that Nigeria with its vast territory, population, and as a federation cannot be effectively and meaningfully secured with a single command unitary police structure and thus the need for the restructuring to ensure immediate constitutional institutionalization of state police.
“The steps will prevent a situation the Governor of Oyo State, even as the Chief Security Officer, had to helplessly and lamentably make an outcry on the infiltration of bandits into his state,” the communique further read.
