₦airaland Forum

I join well-meaning leaders, the people of the South East, and indeed well-meaning Nigerians to call for a political solution that will lead to the release of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, on terms that will bring about the cessation of violence, the return of normalcy, and full integration for all.

This is not just for the people of the South East; I believe that this is a sentiment shared by all well-meaning Nigerians who want a united, peaceful, and just nation for all.

All Nigerians must condemn violence, especially the type that has occurred in the South East in recent years, as well as the terrorist activities in the northern part. Our sympathy must be for all victims and the losses they have incurred and continue to suffer even to this day. As a former police officer and a senior lawyer (former Attorney General), I feel personally touched when security officers are attacked and killed. We condemn violence and lawlessness wherever they occur.

The Nigerian state and its institutions have reacted in the typical manner every state must respond to a challenge of this kind to its sovereignty. This is the historical reality from Mandela to Boro, and up till date, around the world. The above examples and several others globally also show that reactions by the state, by way of arrest, trial, sentencing, and even conviction and execution of agitators, do not end agitations.

The solution usually lies in the initiation of a political process, midwifed by broad-minded leaders who place the national good over personal, political, and regional biases.

Legal processes do not address separatist agitations that are political and economic in nature. Historically, arrests, trials, convictions, and sentencing—even executions—do not solve these kinds of agitations. After the legal processes, what must follow is a sincere and holistic political solution that will create public confidence and sustain patriotism by all. The challenge is to create a Nigeria that all can trust and believe in, one they can fight and die for if necessary. This is the lesson from the arrest, trial, and sentencing of Nelson Mandela, who was convicted and jailed for 27 years, and that of Isaac Adaka Boro, who led the first separatist agitation against Nigerian statehood. In all these cases, genuine progress only emerged when broad-minded leaders initiated a political process that placed national interest above personal or political grievances and biases.

A more recent example is the peace process initiated by the Yar’Adua/Jonathan administration, during which the government engaged leaders and agitators on resolving the Niger Delta crisis. This led to the establishment of the Presidential Amnesty Programme, which has brought relative peace and stability to the region to the benefit of the entire country.

This was what General Gowon did, even after Boro and his comrades had been sentenced to death. He accepted the peace process spearheaded by the leaders of the Ijaw and Niger Delta, led by Harold Dappa-Biriye, and granted Boro full pardon. Not only that—he made it possible for them to join the federal forces to strengthen the defence of the Niger Delta areas which they knew better than the federal troops. And Boro and his comrades died fighting for a Nigeria they initially fought against. I call that leadership, vision, and broad-mindedness. Instructively, General Gowon took these decisions at the age of 32 in the midst of an unprecedented national crisis.

Adaisback:
And you said you are a former police man moreover does kanu look like someone that is remorseful or want a political solution ? Since he was incarcerated , did you any pin drop from South East? As for people that are sitting at home in Aba and Nnewi, you all should make it everyday of the week while the people in Awka and Enugu are proudly going about their normal business on Monday.

chiagozien:
God bless Mazi Nnamdi Kanu

sreamsense:
He is already being blessed in Sokoto prison romancing with his aboki terrorist friends. When we tell you something, you say you don't know, and you never read to understand also. And those of us who knew that KANU will end up in the prison, you will never learn reality from us; you prefer to be chasing lies up and down, but at the end of the day; reality I have been telling you fell on you.

Adaisback:
And you said you are a former police man moreover does kanu look like someone that is remorseful or want a political solution ? Since he was incarcerated , did you any pin drop from South East? As for people that are sitting at home in Aba and Nnewi, you all should make it everyday of the week while the people in Awka and Enugu are proudly going about their normal business on Monday.

sreamsense:
He is already being blessed in Sokoto prison romancing with his aboki terrorist friends. When we tell you something, you say you don't know, and you never read to understand also. And those of us who knew that KANU will end up in the prison, you will never learn reality from us; you prefer to be chasing lies up and down, but at the end of the day; reality I have been telling you fell on you.

MarkNsukkaBread:
I no follow una for this una nonsense agitation o!

MarkNsukkaBread:
I no follow una for this una nonsense agitation o!

mrvitalis:
Appeasing kalu and IPOB is very simple

State Police licenced to carry automatic guns like AK47 so that we know our lands are protected from Fulani invaders... This is the must do

Kalu is not someone political appointment or money can move trust me if not he would have bought years ago

IPOB was peaceful till Fulani invaded South East with army n police backing

shortgun:
You are very ignorant of Nnamdi Kanu,IPOB movement and the Biafran agitation.

For years, IPOB’s activities in the Southeast were peaceful. People marched, held rallies and demanded fairness in a country where many Igbos felt politically sidelined and constantly treated as second-class citizens. The movement’s message was loud but non-violent. Give us justice, give us equity, give us dignity or give us Biafra was IPOBs message everywhere.

But instead of dialogue, the federal government answered with military force, intimidation, arrests, and killing of many Igbo youths. Young people who came out with flags and placards were treated like criminals. Communities were surrounded by soldiers as though they were war zones. Naturally, this hardened feelings in the region. People who didn't align with IPOBs ideology sided with the movement.

The situation exploded with Operation Python Dance II in 2017. Soldiers invaded Nnamdi Kanu’s home in Abia State while he was on bail in an operation that many see as an assassination attempt by the Nigerian Army. His father died as a result of that operation and more than twenty Igbo youths lost their lives during the raid. There are recorded cases of teenage girls captured by the military and turned into sex slaves after labeling them IPOB.

What followed was predictable. When a peaceful movement is met with state sanctioned killings of innocent people, frustration and anger take over. The government’s actions radicalized many who once believed in non-violence.Many youths now vowed to retaliate by killing many security officers

Invading Kanu’s residence and causing the deaths of innocent youths, the Nigerian military turned a peaceful agitation into a volatile movement. Many youths still remain missing till date. You don't expect not to fight back when you are unjustly killed by a government that should protect you.

........the rest they say is history

Thewrath:
They don’t know that,the struggle is beyond NK and will never stop until that goal is achieved !