Yoruba Ronu Leadership Forum, a socio-cultural group has commended Igbo leaders for taking the bold step to meet with President Muhammadu Buhari to secure the unconditional release of the leader of Indigenous Peoples of Biafra, IPOB, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu.
WITHIN NIGERIA had reported that traditional and religious leaders in the south-east met with Buhari and asked him to grant amnesty to Kanu to deescalate tension in the zone.
Recall that Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami (SAN), at a press briefing in Abuja on June 29, 2021, announced that the IPOB leader was re-arrested in a foreign country and extradited to Nigeria.
Kanu has been in Department of State Services (DSS) custody in Abuja by the order of a federal high court on treasonable charges.
Malami had recently said that the federal government is open to all kinds of solutions, including a political solution in order to resolve the crisis surrounding separatist agitations in the south east and south west parts of the country.
In a statement titled “Igbo Leaders Parley is Both A “Dialogue And An Hat Trick” signed by the President of the group, Akin Malaolu on Friday and made available to Vanguard in Abuja, Yoruba Ronu Forum urged the south west leaders to emulate the Igbo leaders.
“We must commend the confident steps taken by the real leaders of the southeast of Nigeria to dialogue with President Mohammad Buhari over the state of IGBO nation and the predicament of their son Nnamdi Kanu who through no fault of his moved against his fatherland with good followership.
“This love for dialogue has been the spirit we believed in, if we want peace for our Nation. This move would guarantee an Igbo presidency in good time.
“We should remember that the president sincerely made a promise on his 2021 independent day speech, that he is opened to dialogue and with genuine agitators. This move and decision to release Nnamdi Kanu unconditionally is a Christmas present as well as a New year gift to all of Nigerians. Perhaps, Peace would be “BORN AGAIN” in our country.
“We do hope, that Southwest leaders in APC and particularly those with wishful thinking that they would be made president, should think through their desire and give respect to our people and not any power that be. Charity they say begins at home.
“Nigerians should see the newest move as a “flag waving love” from Mr President especially at a time United States of America removed Nigeria from their religious intolerance list.
“Those who can still think should do so now with a clear intension and desire to stabilize Nigeria through a national dialogue that would midwife a new federal Constitution. That is the appropriate route for now and any other route is into the bush”, the statement stated.