The Ohanaeze Youth Council (OYC) has condemned the arrests of Omoyele Sowore, Aloy Ejimakor, and Emmanuel Kanu, calling on President Tinubu to order their immediate release.
In a statement issued on Friday and signed by its National President, Comrade Igboayaka O. Igboayaka, the pan-Igbo youth group expressed deep concern over what it called the prevailing atmosphere of intimidation, harassment, and ethnic victimisation surrounding the detention of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu. The group said these actions reflect a total collapse of governance under President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
According to OYC, Nigeria under President Tinubu’s leadership is in a “precarious state,” likening it to “a ship on the verge of capsizing after being struck by a tornado.”
The group described as shocking the arrest of human rights activist and former presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC), Omoyele Sowore, who was detained by police last Tuesday during the #FreeNnamdiKanu protest at the Federal High Court, Abuja.
“It is disturbing that on October 20, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, through the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, ordered the arrest of peaceful protesters, including Nnamdi Kanu’s lawyer, Barrister Aloy Ejimakor; Prince Emmanuel Kanu; Barrister Kingdom Okere; and others during the #FreeNnamdiKanu protest. They were later arraigned before the Kuje Magistrate Court and remanded in Kuje Prison,” the statement read.
The youth body urged President Tinubu to immediately order the release of Sowore, Ejimakor, Prince Emmanuel Kanu, Barrister Okere, and others, and to initiate genuine national healing and reconciliation efforts to prevent crises similar to those witnessed in Madagascar and Nepal.
The council further advised the President to heed the growing international calls for Nnamdi Kanu’s release by adopting a political solution, dropping all charges, and ensuring his unconditional freedom.
Comrade Igboayaka concluded that Nnamdi Kanu’s continued detention represents an act of selective justice against the Igbo people, warning that such perceived injustice could further destabilise Nigeria.
