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By Raymond Ozoji, Awka
The Deputy Speaker of the Anambra State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Dr. Paschal Arinzechukwu Agbodike, has joined numerous other Nigerians to demand immediate release of the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu from continued detention.
Agbodike, who made the call while seconding the motion for adjournment during plenary, maintained that the Federal Government should release the IPOB leader from the already prolonged detention in order to end the insecurity that has already submerged the Southeast region of the country.
Agbodike stated that some communities in the region have become ghost communities because the inhabitants of those communities have deserted their homes and are now refugees in strange lands for fear of insurgency by daredevil gunmen.
He equally recalled that the Governor of Anambra state, Professor Charles Chukwuma Soludo had made same request, calling on the government of President Muhammadu Buhari to release Nnamdi Kanu to him and even volunteered to serve as surety for his release.
These he said were the cries of the Igbo nation in Nigeria and that Ndigbo were not known for violence and bloodshed instead they are known for industry, ingenuity, resourcefulness and peace-loving, adding that the release of Nnamdi Kanu from detention will douse the tension in the Southeast region of Nigeria.
Agbodike said, “I passionately call on Ndi-Anambra especially our national assembly members from Anambra State and the Southeast in general to live up to their responsibilities.
“Most of the places in Igboland today especially my local government Ihiala are being turned to ghost communities. You won’t see anybody in most communities. We are facing the problem of insecurity and what people are saying is release Nnamdi Kanu.
“The Federal Government should please release Nnamdi Kanu. More than 85% of Ndigbo are hopeful that should the Federal Government heed the call for release of Nnamdi Kanu, the insecurity in Southeast will end.
“Recently, our dear Governor Professor Charles Chukwuma Soludo volunteered himself as surety for the release of Nnamdi Kanu to him but the appeal seems to have fallen on deaf ears. Is it when things have completely gone wrong that they would hear our cry ?
“I am joining the voices of numerous Ndigbo and the people of Southeast to call on the Federal Government to release Nnamdi Kanu from detention. There was an appeal court judgement that he should be released; the Federal Government should release Nnamdi Kanu unconditionally, if it will be the solution to the insecurity in the Southeast.
“People can no longer sleep in their homes and agitators have reasons why they are agitating. I sue for peace and a peaceful roundtable discussion between government and those agitators as panacea to end insecurity in the Southeast.
“Insecurity has been there before now but today it is so alarming not only in Anambra state but in some parts of Igboland especially in the Southeast and majority of the people are attributing the insecurity to the call on the Federal Government to release Nnamdi Kanu which they have refused to do.
“Our national assembly members should go as a force to meet the president and appeal to him to release Nnamdi Kanu. They should make sure that the Federal Government listens to the cry of Ndigbo.
“In my local government, people no longer sleep. Ndigbo are not known for shedding the blood of another person let alone those of our brothers. Ndigbo are very peaceful people. For one to agitate is not against the law but the way the agitation is done is what matters.
“So I plead with everyone; let us have a town hall meeting where these issues can be discussed and resolved amicably so that peace will return to Southeast again.”
