Release Nnamdi Kanu or return him to London, S’East monarch tells President Tinubu

A South-East traditional ruler, Dr Lawrence Agubuzu, has told President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to release the convicted leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, or send him back to the country from which he was brought to Nigeria, warning that his continued detention is deepening frustration among young people in the region.

Agubuzu, the Eze Ogbunechendo of Ezema Olo Kingdom, made the call on Tuesday in Abuja during the 2026 National Traditional and Religious Leaders Summit on Health, held at the State House Conference Centre.

The gathering, themed “The Role of Traditional and Religious Leaders in Advancing the Nigeria Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative,” focused on strengthening grassroots participation in ongoing health reforms. It also included the signing of a compact through which traditional and religious leaders pledged to promote improved healthcare delivery within their communities.

Addressing participants, the monarch issued a direct message to the President.

“Bring this man out. If we don’t want him in Nigeria, return him to Kenya or London where they took him from.

“Please do something about this. We cannot make progress in this country if we don’t tell ourselves the truth.

“I must tell you, Mr President, that personally I don’t feel very happy because you were not here in the morning when the Ooni of Ife gave the opening remarks and was encouraging us to work as one,”

The Enugu-based royal father also questioned the consistency of calls for national unity, alleging that the same traditional institution was preparing to honour Yoruba Nation campaigner Sunday Igboho, whom he portrayed as Kanu’s equivalent in the South-West.

“The ball is in your court. Bring this man out.

“If we don’t want him in Nigeria, return him to Kenya or London where they took him from,” he added.

Agubuzu further warned that unresolved tensions surrounding Kanu’s case were eroding the authority of traditional leaders in the South-East, noting rising anger among young people.

“Some of us here are being asked to go and work, but the young people in the South-East are so agitated they can even beat us.

“They see us as sell-outs. We come to Abuja; they may think we come to collect money and then we keep quiet,” he said.

Kanu, a 58-year-old British-Nigerian activist and founder of the proscribed IPOB movement, has remained a central figure in one of Nigeria’s longest-running and most politically sensitive court cases.

He was initially arrested in Lagos in October 2015 on allegations of treasonable felony linked to separatist broadcasts on Radio Biafra. After more than a year in detention, he was granted bail in April 2017 on health grounds by Justice Binta Nyako of the Federal High Court in Abuja.

Following a military operation at his residence in Afaraukwu, Umuahia, in September 2017, Kanu left the country. His bail was subsequently revoked, and the Federal Government later designated IPOB a terrorist organisation.

Authorities announced his re-arrest in June 2021 and return to Nigeria from Kenya—an action his legal team described as an extraordinary rendition.

In October 2022, the Court of Appeal ordered his release after ruling that the rendition invalidated the charges. However, the Supreme Court set aside that judgment in December 2023 and directed that his trial continue at the Federal High Court.

On November 20, 2025, Justice James Omotosho convicted Kanu on seven terrorism-related counts and imposed a life sentence, along with additional concurrent prison terms. He was subsequently moved to the Sokoto Correctional Centre.

Meanwhile, the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate, described the summit as the most extensive engagement with traditional and religious leaders since the launch of current health sector reforms more than two years ago.

Representatives of the World Health Organisation, the World Bank, and the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Health delivered goodwill messages at the event.

In her keynote address, the First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, urged traditional and religious leaders to support the National Community Food Bank Programme scheduled for nationwide rollout in April.

The summit also marked the inauguration of the second cohort of the National Health Fellows programme and the signing of a compact designed to enhance community participation, transparency, and accountability in healthcare delivery.

President Tinubu later addressed participants during the afternoon session of the summit.