{"id":22295,"date":"2025-10-27T08:00:53","date_gmt":"2025-10-27T07:00:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/?p=22295"},"modified":"2025-10-26T23:09:50","modified_gmt":"2025-10-26T22:09:50","slug":"stop-the-injustice-ned-nwoko-accuses-federal-government-of-using-kanus-detention-to-punish-the-igbo","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/2025\/10\/27\/stop-the-injustice-ned-nwoko-accuses-federal-government-of-using-kanus-detention-to-punish-the-igbo\/","title":{"rendered":"‘Stop the Injustice\u2019: Ned Nwoko Accuses Federal Government of Using Kanu\u2019s Detention to Punish the Igbo."},"content":{"rendered":"\n

ABUJA, Nigeria (FN) \u2014 Nigerian Senator Ned Nwoko has urged President Bola Tinubu\u2019s administration to release detained separatist leader Nnamdi Kanu, arguing that doing so would help restore peace and stability to the troubled South-East region.

Speaking in an interview on Sunday, Nwoko, who represents Delta North Senatorial District, said Kanu\u2019s prolonged detention has worsened mistrust and deepened insecurity in the region. \u201cNnamdi Kanu has been in custody for some time now. I believe that he has been held unjustly,\u201d the senator said. \u201cReleasing him will calm tensions and open the door for reconciliation and national unity.\u201d

Nwoko also renewed calls for the creation of an additional state in the South-East, insisting that the imbalance in Nigeria\u2019s federal structure has fueled agitation. \u201cThe South-East is the only region with five states. Giving it a sixth state will correct the injustice and make the people feel truly included,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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A senior official in the Ministry of Justice, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the government was \u201copen to political dialogue\u201d but added that national security remained a priority. \u201cThe President has emphasized peace through constitutional means. The courts will determine Kanu\u2019s case, not emotions or public pressure,\u201d the official said.

Meanwhile, Minister of Information Mohammed Idris said the federal government \u201cacknowledges the concerns raised by leaders like Senator Nwoko\u201d but stressed that \u201cthe matter is before the judiciary, and due process must take its course.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nwoko\u2019s remarks sparked mixed reactions across the South-East and on social media. Many residents and community leaders praised the senator for taking a bold stand. \u201cHe has spoken the truth many politicians are afraid to say,\u201d said Chief Ifeanyi Nwaka, a community leader in Anambra State. \u201cThe South-East cannot truly heal while Kanu remains behind bars.\u201d

Younger residents in Enugu and Imo expressed similar sentiments, saying the government\u2019s hard-line approach had only fueled anger and alienation. \u201cEvery Monday, we still suffer from the sit-at-home orders. If his release can stop this, then it\u2019s time,\u201d said Chinedu Okafor, a trader in Enugu.

However, not everyone agreed. Some political commentators warned that freeing Kanu could embolden separatists and weaken the government\u2019s authority. \u201cIf you release him without addressing the root causes of secessionist sentiment, you risk validating extremism,\u201d said political analyst Grace Ekanem.

Several human rights groups and traditional rulers have echoed Nwoko\u2019s appeal for dialogue, urging Tinubu to adopt a political solution rather than a purely legal one. \u201cNigeria has more to gain from peace than from prolonged confrontation,\u201d said a statement by the Civil Liberties Forum.

The senator said he was confident that with fairness and inclusion, the South-East could be fully reintegrated into Nigeria\u2019s political and economic system. \u201cThe time has come for healing. Releasing Nnamdi Kanu is not a sign of weakness but of strength and justice,\u201d he said.

Kanu, who leads the banned Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), has been detained since 2021 after being extradited to Nigeria. He faces multiple charges including treason, which he denies. His continued detention has been linked to waves of violence, protests, and weekly shutdowns that have paralyzed the region.

As debate over his fate intensifies, pressure continues to mount on the Tinubu government to balance justice, security, and reconciliation in one of Nigeria\u2019s most politically sensitive crises.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

ABUJA, Nigeria (FN) \u2014 Nigerian Senator Ned Nwoko has urged President Bola Tinubu\u2019s administration to release detained separatist leader Nnamdi Kanu, arguing that doing so would help restore peace and stability to the troubled South-East region. Speaking in an interview on Sunday, Nwoko, who represents Delta North Senatorial District, said Kanu\u2019s prolonged detention has worsened […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":22294,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[4,3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-22295","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured","category-naija-news"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.funminews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Ned-Nwoko-1-768x576-1.jpg?fit=768%2C576&ssl=1","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22295","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=22295"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22295\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":22296,"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22295\/revisions\/22296"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/22294"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=22295"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=22295"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=22295"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}