The Association of South East Town Unions (ASETU) has made a passionate appeal to President Muhammadu Buhari to release the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu.
They said the IPOB leader’s freedom would turn around the security of lives and property in the region as the incessant sit-at-home calls with the attendant crippling of economic and social lives would be over.
This formed part of resolutions at an Emergency Extra-Ordinary National Caucus meeting of ASETU in Awka, Anambra State, on May 20, 2022.
In an open letter to the President dated May 23, 2022, ASETU urged him to exercise his prerogative of mercy in the interest of peace and safety of the residents of South East.
The letter signed by its National President, Chief Emeka Diwe, National Secretary, Gideon Adikwuru, Chairman, Board of Trustees, Dr. I. I. Onwubuya and presidents of the body in the five South East States, noted that the federal government had previously deployed amnesty in resolving issues.
ASETU, however, Meanwhile, we appealed to Igbo sons and daughters to maintain peace and good neighbourliness wherever they lived while waiting patiently and hopefully for the President’s positive response to its passionate appeal.
ASETU said: “We passionately appeal to His Excellency, President Muhammadu Buhari to extend his milk of human kindness to Ndi Igbo in this most trying period and abate the continued loss of innocent souls and the destruction of the South East economy by applying a political solution and using his prerogative of Presidential Amnesty to release Mazi Nnamdi Kanu from detention. As the father of all, may we remind him of the Igbo adage that says: “if a father beats his child with the left hand, he draws him back with the right hand.”
“Also, an axiom in criminal justice administration advocates that “it is better to release one hundred condemned criminals than punish one single innocent soul.” The continued detention of one man (Nnamdi Kanu) has caused the death of so many innocent lives and destruction of properties worth billions of naira. If releasing him will stop the killings, and the “sit at home” orders as claimed, what do we lose by trying this option to save further lives and property. It is a costless benefit of doubt. We assure Mr. President that releasing him will not worsen the security situation, rather it will bring enduring peace and eliminate or reduce drastically the killings. Our leadership is grassroots based and we feel the heartbeat of the people more.
“Let us not over-stretch the logic and legality of his “offence” and resultant trial as that may gainlessly lead us to unending circles of justifications including the claimed primary cause of the anger of Igbo youths, which is the obvious and unwarranted marginalization of Ndigbo (which is indeed our collective agitation).
“However, while we are not justifying his approach in pursuit of that cause, we are saying that in the interest of peace and the remaining lives of our people especially the youths (our future generation), let Nnamdi Kanu be released to us and let us talk thereafter.”
Credit: Daily Sun