FCT, Abuja – Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, minister of state for foreign affairs, on Friday, November 21, described the life imprisonment handed to Nnamdi Kanu as “sad news”.
Reported how the federal high court in Abuja on Thursday, November 20, convicted Kanu on all seven counts preferred against him by the Nigerian government and subsequently sentenced him to life imprisonment.
President Bola Tinubu’s minister Bianca Ojukwu comments on IPOB leader Nnamdi Kanu’s life sentence
President Bola Tinubu’s minister, Bianca Ojukwu, reacts to IPOB leader Nnamdi Kanu’s life imprisonment.
The terrorism charges against Kanu were related to his agitation for the secession of the south-east and some parts of the south-south from Nigeria to form an independent state of Biafra.
The trial judge, James Omotosho, also ordered that the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) leader be prevented from having access to mobile devices and broadcast equipment, except under the supervision of security operatives.
Ojukwu reacts to Kanu’s life sentence
Reacting to the judgment, Bianca, widow of Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu, the former ‘Biafran’ warlord, called for calm in the south-east region.
According to her, “this situation requires careful reflection and constructive dialogue.”
She warned:
“Beating the drums of fury and sabre rattling will only generate diminishing returns, and in the worst-case scenario, yet another wasteland.”
Bianca Ojukwu, a minister appointed by President Bola Tinubu, urges people of the southeast region to remain calm on Nnamdi Kanu’s matter.
Bianca Ojukwu, a minister appointed by President Bola Tinubu, calls for calm amid life imprisonment handed to pro-Biafra agitator, Nnamdi Kanu.
Bianca, an appointee of President Bola Tinubu, added:
“The quest for mutual coexistence of Ndigbo in Nigeria with justice, equity and dignity is a commitment which requires our collective resolve, and maintaining peace and order is essential to ensuring the security of all citizens, regardless of tribe or creed.
“I oblige everyone to remain calm and patient.”
She concluded by asking key stakeholders to put all hands on deck and seek a political resolution to the matter.
In the same vein, analysts warn that the conviction could stoke separatist sentiment and complicate efforts to restore calm in the region, where authorities blame IPOB for a wave of deadly attacks.
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