No fewer than 44 members of the House of Representatives have written to President Bola Tinubu, asking him to invoke his constitutional powers to secure the release of the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Mazi Nnamdi Kanu.
The lawmakers, drawn from different political parties and regions, said Kanu’s continued detention had deepened insecurity and economic distress in the South-East, insisting that a political solution was the only viable path to national stability.
In the two-page letter, signed under the banner of "Concerned Federal Lawmakers," the group urged the President to direct the Attorney-General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, to discontinue Kanu’s prosecution as provided under Section 174 of the 1999 Constitution.
They also called for the immediate convening of an "all-inclusive political roundtable" involving key stakeholders to address grievances and chart a lasting peace process.
The letter was signed by Hon Ikenga Imo Ugochinyere, Hon Obi Aguocha, Hon Murphy Osaro, Hon Peter Akpanke, Hon Mudashiru Lukman, Hon Paul Nnamechi, Hon Sunday Cyriacus, Hon Obed Shehu, Hon Dominic Okafor, Hon Ugwu Emmanuel, Hon Daniel Asama Ago, Hon Chike John Okafor, Hon Adam Ogene Ogbaru and more than 30 others.
According to the lawmakers, their appeal follows weeks of consultations across party lines, ethnic blocs and security stakeholders.
They referenced several domestic court rulings and international tribunal decisions that have faulted aspects of Kanu’s arrest and rendition from Kenya in 2021.
Part of the letter read: "Driven by the urgent need for national reconciliation and healing, and noting similar negotiations with armed groups in other parts of Nigeria, we respectfully request that the President direct the Attorney-General to discontinue the prosecution of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu and initiate a constructive dialogue aimed at securing a just political solution."
The lawmakers said the resurgence of violence in parts of the South-East since Kanu’s arrest had shown that the situation required political, rather than purely legal, intervention.
Monday’s development followed an earlier appeal by Hon Obinna Aguocha, who wrote separately to the President arguing that the case against Kanu was constitutionally defective due to what he described as the "illegal rendition" from Kenya, which, in his view, undermined the integrity of the prosecution.
Aguocha, who represents Ikwuano/Umuahia North/Umuahia South Federal Constituency in Abia State, warned that prolonging the detention risked worsening tensions in the region.
The Presidency has yet to issue an official response to the lawmakers’ request.
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