By Atoyebi Nike
Media entrepreneur and Ovation International publisher, Dele Momodu, has urged the Federal Government to release the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu.
In a post shared on his X handle on Tuesday, the former presidential candidate said Nigeria must address the root causes of separatist agitation in the South-East, which he described as stemming from “decades of marginalisation and deprivation.”
Momodu accompanied his statement with a clip of one of Kanu’s broadcasts recorded shortly before his arrest in Kenya, noting that many critics failed to understand the historical and political context behind the Biafra movement.
He argued that silencing Kanu would not end the agitation, stressing that the crisis required political reconfiguration rather than legal or military force. “Attempts to exterminate him will never solve the problem. The Igbo struggle goes beyond legalese,” he said.
While condemning violence, Momodu called on the government to engage constructively with the South-East, saying, “Any sensible government will keep the geniuses of the South-East very busy with productive engagements, instead of hatred.”
His comments come amid renewed appeals from civil rights groups and political leaders for Kanu’s release and a political solution to the ongoing crisis.
