By Adebayo Adeolu
The recent Presidential Pardon of about 175 Nigerians conspicuously had the name of Nnamdi Kanu missing. I had mentioned that I expected Mr President to have effected his release in the first hundred days of his government. This could have eased all the tension in the South East.
Nnamdi Kanu had first been arrested on the 14th of October, 2015 on an 11 count charge bordering on terrorism. He was given bail but jumped his bail when his life was threatened and his home attacked after a military raid on September 2017 . The Buhari government had arrested him because of his utterances against the nepotism and favour that was given to the Fulani ethnic group as a result of herdsmen and farmers clashes.
He accused the Buhari government of being insensitive and taking sides to the crisis going on Nigeria. The killing of Christians and burning of churches which was happening all over northern Nigeria and later moved to the middle belt of Nigeria and Southern Nigeria. The crisis also affected Muslims who also got killed and their mosques attacked.
Kanu was accused of inciting violence and had been accused of terrorism. The court revoked his bail in March 2019 and ordered his re – arrest. By the 29th of June 2021 government of Buhari had him arrested and abducted from Kenya to Nigeria despite his dual citizenship and British citizenship the government in the United Kingdom gave a diplomatic silence. It is true that there are video evidence circulating on the internet where he said the mob should burn down Lagos and the Continental Hotel, but this is the rant of a man who was annoyed the Yoruba’s had kept silent on the crisis going on in Nigeria especially from the Yoruba Leaders including President Tinubu who was not President at the time but a member of the ruling party that had installed and made Muhammadu Buhari President of Nigeria.
Buhari had tried to be President three times but failed despite his 12 million votes. It was Tinubu that made him President by strategically aligning with the CPC which was Buhari’s party through his party the AC (Action Congress) of the South West. Tinubu had made compromise to put his personal ambitions aside to allow Buhari rule as many had believed he was a messiah who was not allowed to govern Nigeria during his military rule in 1984 that had been overthrown in a coup de tat within months of his emergence as Head of State. Many Nigerians felt he should be given a chance to govern Nigeria where their high hopes were eventually quashed as Buhari’s performance as a civilian President was too poor.
However Nnamdi Kanu will not burn down Lagos because it’s the business hub of many Nigerians with the Igbos having a big stake inside Lagos including Nnamdi Kanu himself. We should be thankful as Nigerians as he opened the eyes of everyone alerting everyone about the situation in Nigeria. Today Buhari is gone and many are realizing the idea of opening the borders and asking Fulani from all over Africa should relocate to Nigeria and take over Nigeria is not possible.
The Fulani are one people by ethnic tribe but they are totally different people from each other and from the Fulani in Nigeria. The reason being they were colonized by different European Powers. This makes them different from the Fulani in Nigeria who they have refused to obey. Their ideologies are totally different and they speak French and other languages linked to their colonial master. The different African Colonies have brought different ways of life so they are not harmonious to British colonial territory and mentality. Even the Fulani under British Colonies outside Nigeria too are different people as the cultural way of living is different from what obtains inside Nigeria. It’s a time bomb that has just been realized.
However the Northern government and members and supporters of the Buhari’s government that ended in 2023 have all asked for President Tinubu to release Nnamdi Kanu. They have removed their hands from the matter from the Sultan of Sokoto to the Emir of Kano and political leaders like El Rufai and Atiku Abubakar. They were the ones who arrested him during the Buhari government, but that government has ended. President Tinubu should release Nnamdi Kanu as it was not during his government that the problem started and the offense was committed.
Your Excellency Sir, President Tinubu, during the June 12 crisis when you had gone on exile you missed a very crucial moment in the history of the South West and especially Lagos. Mr President did not witness the exodus of the Igbo outside Lagos and the South West. If he had been around when the Igbo went back home to the East, he would love them dearly and treat them as special people. The reason was that Lagos became empty and locked up shops. If you were going anywhere in Lagos it took fifteen minutes to thirty minutes anywhere inside Lagos. The whole place was empty you would think Lagos was back in 1960’s very low activity no crowd no traffic the whole place was quiet and this was so scary and I am not exaggerating! It was also difficult to get spare parts for the cars and even a spark plug became difficult to purchase as the Igbo had locked up their shop and traveled to the Eastern Region. It was a big lesson I learned at the period that the Igbo’s were strategic partners with the Yoruba people. I think we should all work together and make Nigeria a great place.
Mr President, I support you and hope you will consider releasing Mazi Nnamdi Kanu and also compensate him for all the trauma he has gone through. We have all seen where bandits were forgiven and rehabilitated despite all the bad things they did many went back to their old ways. I think you should consider the release of Nnamdi Kanu when it matters most.
* ADEOLU is a lawyer and author
