According to Channels Television, presidential spokesperson Laolu Akande expressed surprise on Thursday at Nnamdi Kanu’s decision to seek a political resolution to his legal issues.
Speaking on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily, Akande urged the leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) to defend himself in court rather than pursue political interventions.
Akande emphasized that he was surprised Kanu is attempting to secure a political solution. He stated that Kanu should be bold enough to address his legal issues in court but appears unwilling to do so. Akande noted that, given Kanu’s known stance, he would have expected him to opt for a court battle.
Nnamdi Kanu, a prominent advocate for Biafran independence, was re-arrested by the Nigerian government in Kenya in mid-2021 and charged with terrorism.
Despite pleading not guilty, he remains in the custody of the Department of State Services (DSS) after Justice Binta Nyako of the Federal High Court in Abuja denied him bail due to his previous bail violation.
On Wednesday, a group of South-East senators, led by Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, appealed to President Bola Tinubu to release Kanu. They argued that his continued detention is causing social and economic stagnation in the South-East region.
The senators delivered a letter to the Attorney General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi, requesting that it be passed on to the President, advocating for Kanu’s release as a means to stabilize the region.
“I am surprised that he is trying to get a political solution,” Akande remarked during the interview. “I think Mr. Nnamdi Kanu should be bold enough to check out these things in court but apparently he is not. I would have expected him, based on what we know about him, to say: ‘Look, let us go to court.’”
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