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Benjamin Kalu, deputy speaker of the house of representatives, says the south-east must achieve peace before demanding the release of Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).
Speaking with journalists on Sunday at his Bende country home, Kalu said the south-east can only secure the release of Kanu through peaceful negotiations.
The IPOB leader has been in the custody of the Department of State Services (DSS) since he was extradited from Kenya in June 2021.
Kalu said getting the IPOB leader released involves strategic thinking and steps.
“To get Kanu released is not about how much you talk about it in the pages of the newspapers or television, it needs strategic thinking and strategic steps to get it done,” he said.
“Many thought that by armtwisting the federal government through sit-at-home every Monday, through violence and destruction, that the federal government can immediately release Kanu.
“You can never armtwist the federal government, but you can dialogue.”
Kalu said the threat to burn down the region if the federal government refused to listen to its request was equal to shooting oneself in the foot.
He added that the best approach to secure Kanu’s release is through negotiation and not violence.
“The houses you are shooting are in the south-east,” he added.
“When you say, if you don’t release Kanu, the people will sit at home and not go to work, people are going to work in Lagos, Kano, Sokoto and other parts of the country.
“So, who are you shooting? It’s like a man shooting his own leg and taking accolade for it, and this is the greatest level of folly.
“So, critically thinking, the best approach is to reduce the violence in the region and create a platform for negotiation.”
Kalu noted that President Bola Tinubu has shown love to the region “by giving us the no. six citizen (deputy speakership), chief of naval staff and minister for works”.
He urged the region to join his advocacy for peace through the peace in the south-east project which was unveiled on December 29, 2023.
“That event, which brought the president, represented by Vice-President Kashim Shettima, the Ooni of Ife, Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, Emir of Kano, Aminu Ado Bayero, Emir of Bichi, Nasiru Ado Bayero, to Bende is significant and symbolic because Kanu is from Bende,” he said.
“So, I urge the south-east to cool temper. When you cool your temper, then the father of the nation would say, yes, they are ready to talk now.”
He also called on the gunmen in the region to surrender their arms to security agencies.
He expressed hope that the government would grant them amnesty once they surrender.
“Sit-at-home is an affront to the federal government,” he said.
“You cannot approbate and reprobate at the same time.”
He added that genuine moves are being made behind the scene to ensure Kanu’s release, adding that “once there is peace, our brother would come out”.
