‘Not on my watch’ – Bianca Ojukwu responds to Kanu’s life sentence 

Nigeria’s former ambassador and widow of Biafran leader Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu, Bianca Ojukwu, has condemned the life imprisonment slammed on IPOB leader Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, urging Nigerians, especially the Igbos, to remain calm but resolute as political solutions are explored.

Ojukwu, who had just returned from a monitoring assignment in Zanzibar, said the judgment was not the outcome anyone hoped for.

In her statement issued on Friday, she warned against any response that could inflame tensions at home or abroad.

“There comes a time in the history of a people when there is need for calm… I advise Ndigbo and Nigerians as a whole that such a period is now,” she said.

She urged restraint, calling on citizens to avoid actions that could escalate the already charged atmosphere, noting that “a word is enough for the wise.”

According to her, the path forward must be built on strategic engagement, not anger. Ojukwu called for a united front of Igbo leaders—including governors, senators, lawmakers, traditional rulers, clergy, and the business community to collectively interface with the Federal Government.

“Beating the drums of fury and sabre-rattling will only generate diminishing returns and, in the worst case, yet another wasteland,” she warned.

Describing dialogue as the most effective route to de-escalation, Ojukwu said the struggle for justice, equity, and fair coexistence for Ndigbo in Nigeria must continue, peacefully.

Despite the shockwaves caused by Kanu’s sentencing, Ojukwu insisted there is still room for resolution that will “reduce national anxiety and societal trauma.”

“I reassure Ndigbo, Nigerians and our foreign partners that prospects remain for resolving this impasse. Now is the time for a joint engagement involving all South-East states to seek a political solution,” she added.