Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has joined calls for the immediate release of the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Mazi Nnamdi Kanu.
Kanu has been in the custody of the Department of State Services (DSS) since his controversial rendition from Kenya in 2021 during the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari.
This comes after Omoyele Sowore, the 2023 presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC), challenged Peter Obi, Anambra State Governor Charles Soludo, Abia State Governor Alex Otti, Atiku, and other South-East leaders to lead a march to the Presidential Villa to demand Kanu’s release.
Sowore, in a post on Instagram, urged regional leaders to stop making “empty noise” and take action towards securing Kanu’s freedom.
Reacting on Thursday via his social media handles, Atiku urged President Bola Tinubu’s administration to obey court orders and release the IPOB leader.
He described Kanu’s continued detention despite court rulings as “an abuse of power and an assault on justice.”
“The continued detention of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu remains an open sore on our nation’s conscience and a stain on our belief in the rule of law,” Atiku wrote.
“Defying court orders that granted him bail is an abuse of power and an assault on justice. I, therefore, lend my voice in full support of the campaign led by Yele Sowore for his immediate release or due prosecution.
“We fail as patriots if we allow Kanu’s case to fester as yet another wound this nation refuses to heal.”
