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The Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, has urged Nigerians, particularly the Igbo community, to remain calm following the conviction and sentencing of Indigenous People of Biafra leader, Nnamdi Kanu, on terrorism charges on Thursday.
In a statement posted on her official X account on Friday, Odumegwu-Ojukwu, who had just returned from Zanzibar, Tanzania, where she was on a monitoring exercise for the National Tripartite Advisory Council, described the outcome as “not what we anticipated, nor prayed for, but a reality that is now upon us.”
She called for restraint and warned against actions that could escalate tensions both within Nigeria and in the diaspora.
“There comes a time in the history of a people when there is a need for calm. I therefore advise Ndigbo, and Nigerians as a whole, that such a period is now! There is an utmost need to exercise restraint in response to this situation.
“All actions which could be deemed incendiary, and which might escalate the situation at home or in the diaspora should be curtailed. A word is enough for the wise,” she added.
Odumegwu-Ojukwu stressed the importance of dialogue and engagement among Igbo stakeholders, including governors, lawmakers, traditional rulers, clergy, politicians, and business leaders, to collectively address the situation.
She said, “The most effective path toward resolution of this crisis is dialogue.
“The quest for mutual coexistence of Ndigbo in Nigeria with justice, equity and dignity is a commitment which requires our collective resolve, and maintaining peace and order is essential to ensuring the security of all citizens, regardless of tribe or creed.”
She further reassured Nigerians and foreign partners that there remain opportunities to resolve the situation in ways that reduce national anxiety and societal trauma.
Odumegwu-Ojukwu urged all stakeholders in the South-East to come together for “a joint engagement, sincerely… to seek a political resolution to this matter.”
Kanu was convicted on November 20 by the Federal High Court in Abuja on seven counts of terrorism.
Justice James Omotosho sentenced him to life imprisonment on five counts, 20 years on one count, and five years on another, with all sentences running concurrently.
The court opted for life imprisonment instead of the death penalty, citing international standards and the interest of justice.
