- Ojukwu, spouse of Igbo leader Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu, speaks at the AVID conference in Texas
- She emphasizes that a court has declared Kanu’s freedom and raises concerns about declining safety for Igbo people and businesses in Nigeria
Ambassador Bianca Ojukwu, the spouse of the late Igbo leader Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu, has urged for the liberation of Nnamdi Kanu, the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).
During her keynote speech at the Annual National Conference and Convention of the American Veterans of Igbo Descent (AVID) held in Dallas, Texas, she highlighted that a competent court had officially declared Kanu’s freedom. In her statement, released to Enugu journalists on Tuesday, the widow of Ojukwu expressed concern about the declining safety of Igbo individuals and their businesses across Nigeria.
AVID comprises American citizens, both men and women of Igbo origin, who are military officers and veterans with a history of service in various branches of the United States Military during different conflicts and theaters of war.
Ojukwu said that “only when the leaders in Igboland rise up, jettison their perceived conspiracy of silence and confront the truth will there be the slightest possibility of healing and recovery from the unfortunate condition which Igboland currently finds itself in.”
The former Nigerian Ambassador to Spain emphasized that tackling the challenging situation requires acknowledging the negligence of leadership in Igboland in addressing the obvious marginalization of Ndigbo over the years. This negligence led to a void that facilitated Nnamdi Kanu’s rise, necessitating corrective action.
She advocated for stronger collaboration among South-East governors and urged them to persist in their endeavors to secure the release of the IPOB leader.
Ojukwu elaborated that the initial collective silence and apathy exhibited by Igbo leaders toward Kanu’s illegal transfer and ongoing unlawful detention significantly contributed to exacerbating tensions within the South-East region today.
Ojukwu, who was the special guest at the event, said: “This nonchalant attitude also brought about the unforeseen consequences of opportunistic criminal elements not even remotely connected with the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) coming into the picture”.
“Today, they (opportunistic criminal elements) are masquerading as freedom fighters to perpetuate the most heinous crimes in Southeastern Nigeria,” she said.
The President of AVID, Dr Sylvester Onyia, restated the resolve and commitment of the organisation towards a safe, prosperous and peaceful Igboland, their homeland of origin.
Onyia said that the continued detention of Kanu in spite of the court’s order that he should be released was of grave concern to the organization.
He lamented that Igbo people are anxious about the inability of the Nigerian Government to secure their lives, properties and investments in their states of residence and businesses in other parts of the country.
He also expressed the organization’s concerns about the current hardship being experienced by Nigerians as a whole, and the marginalisation and insecurity in Igboland that had been exacerbated by anti-people policies.
“These have caused nothing but suffering and a heightened sense of hopelessness among the people,” he said.
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