The World Igbo Congress (WIC) has raised alarm, warning that Nigeria could face dire consequences if Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), d!es while in the custody of the Department of State Services (DSS).
Kanu, who was first arrested in 2015 and briefly released on bail in 2017, was re-arrested in 2021 and controversially extradited from Kenya. Since then, he has remained in detention, facing terrorism and treason charges — a situation that continues to fuel unrest and unease across the South-East.
Speaking on 90MinutesAfrica with Rudolf Okonkwo, WIC chairman Festus Okere said the federal government has turned a deaf ear to numerous appeals for Kanu’s release. He described the continued incarceration as “the greatest slap on the Igbo people.”
“I don’t want to issue threats, but if Nnamdi Kanu d!es in detention, only God knows what the consequences would be,” Okere warned. He urged President Bola Tinubu to embrace a political solution to secure Kanu’s freedom, noting that similar approaches had been used to resolve cases involving other ethnic groups.
Okere also stressed the need for the South-East to return to the leadership ideals of Dr. Michael Okpara, the late premier of the defunct Eastern Region. “Dr. Okpara was disciplined, selfless, and transformative. His era was regarded as the golden age of the region,” he said.
Echoing his words, WIC vice chairman Basil Onwukwe called for a rejection of “bastardised leadership” in the region, urging Ndigbo to embrace leaders committed to industrialisation, unity, and genuine development.
Founded in 1994, the World Igbo Congress remains the umbrella organisation for Igbos in the diaspora, championing the region’s political and developmental aspirations.
