The Presidency has denied claims alleging that Imo State Governor Hope Uzodinma is preventing President Bola Tinubu from releasing the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) Nnamdi Kanu,
Tinubu’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, labeled the allegations as “fake news”, urging the public to disregard the misinformation.
In a statement, Onanuga clarified that Tinubu never engaged with Igbo businessmen in discussions related to the release of Kanu.
Onanuga said President Tinubu did not hold any meeting with Igbo businessmen on the stated matter, and he did not make any statements concerning Governor Uzodinma’s alleged interference.
“The fake news is obviously designed to build some resentment against the governor ahead of this weekend election in the state.
On June 27, 2021, Kanu was arrested in Kenya by Interpol and extradited to Nigeria where he is supposed to face trial.
The trial began in October 2021, with Kanu being accused of “terrorism, treason, involvement with a banned separatist movement, inciting public violence through radio broadcasts, and defamation of Nigerian authorities through broadcasts”. He pleaded non-guilty in all cases.
On 19 January 2022, Justice Benson Anya of the Abia State High Court ruled that the 2017 arrest of Kanu was unlawful and an infringement on his human rights, and that his abduction and forceful return to Nigeria was “illegal” under local and international laws. Anya also ruled that the Nigerian government should pay Kanu a sum of N1billion as a compensation for the violation of his fundamental human rights.[57]
Despite the ruling, the Federal Government has refused to release him.
