GOOD NEWS! United Nations Orders Nigeria To Free Nnamdi Kanu Amid Brexit Gain Global momentum

Added: 2026-05-07

[00:00:04]As you settle.

[00:00:14]And coincidentally my I'm not going to have a good day.

[00:00:26]You say You say You say All right, the question tuned at Eastern News 24.

[00:00:40]You can get information on what you needed.

[00:00:43]All right.

[00:00:46]Is it Chika and I are a former commissioner for information in Abia state.

[00:00:57]Okay, which also Bo Charles Bo secretary general of Ohaneze Ndigbo worldwide.

[00:01:07]If I international media.

[00:01:11]In less point of one extradition of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu to Nigeria by Senate and also Mazi Nnamdi Kanu's ladies and sit-at-home.

[00:01:27]They will tell me to give me their response.

[00:01:30]Then again, you can go ahead and drop your own comment on the comment section below.

[00:01:35]All right, over to you, sir.

[00:01:38]In honor of those unjustly killed for not adhering to the sit-at-home order by Simon Ekpa and his gang.

[00:01:46]Omo Bassey Arise News.

[00:01:50]All for more on this, I'm joined in the studio by Eze Chika Mazi who is a constitutional lawyer and a former commissioner for information and strategy in Abia state. Also, Professor Charles Okeke who is the secretary of the Igbo Elders Consultative Forum.

[00:02:03]Gentlemen, good to see you. Not too good a story we're getting from Nigeria's southeast. We've had this conversation.

[00:02:09]Perhaps let's start by speaking to Eze, you've seen some of your uh colleagues and friends in the National Assembly asking for a solution. First, give us a sense of what exactly is happening in Nigeria's southeast.

[00:02:24]You're from Abia state.

[00:02:26]Uh How is it going with the people in terms of sit-at-home and the resurgence of these uh uh gun-wielding men?

[00:02:36]Uh Salam alaikum. Thank you all. And the truth quickly is that uh these are very delicate times to have not just in the southeast but in Nigeria.

[00:02:48]And this time is a time for statesmanship, not a time for legalism.

[00:02:56]Because I observed the emotions in the Senate and I saw how uh some of the people say because of our rules, we were not going to go in line with political solution.

[00:03:09]And as someone who has studied widely, you know, issues of terrorism and issues of conflicts across the globe and as a constitutional lawyer, I will say that there is no way anywhere in the world you will eventually arrive at a solution to any conflict without some form of political solution to it. Because at the end of the day, it will be on the table.

[00:03:32]And secondly, uh before now, Abia state where I come from has been an oasis of peace and security in the southeast.

[00:03:42]The last diaspora meeting held in Abia state, Nigerian Union of Journalists conference held in Abia state 2 years ago. And for 8 years, check your records. Under Governor Ikpeazu, there was no single incident of either IPOB or unrest in the southeast.

[00:04:00]So, you have to look at what was it that Abia under Governor Ikpeazu did well?

[00:04:06]I think every Nigerian is looking for a solution. I'll come back to you on that.

[00:04:10]This certainly we'll have to look at what recipe you had to the extent that people had a fantastic one for 8 years.

[00:04:21]Professor Okeke, one of the few things people have been asking is the solutions that the Igbo Elders Forum have because I'll come back to the political aspect with that. Yeah, Chika Mazi, but what are the elders doing to ensure that everyone can go about their business?

[00:04:44]Well, I want to thank you.

[00:04:46]And by extension, I want to thank the Arise management for giving us this wonderful opportunity.

[00:04:54]As a matter of fact, let me begin with the motion sought by some senators from southeast.

[00:05:03]Okay, first, I want to commend them at least for them to come off for once to say, "Look, let Nnamdi Kanu be released." But I want to say to you, they should go beyond that because I'm not a lawyer, but I know that motion has no force of law.

[00:05:21]Although the senators rejected it, I wanted to hear what their suggestion as an alternative. And I am disappointed that the senators could do uh summon courage to advise the presidency to release Mr. Nnamdi Kanu. As a matter of fact, yes, as read here, you know, first Nnamdi Kanu was charged before an Abuja federal Federal High Court, Abuja, presided over by Justice Binta Nyako.

[00:05:51]And then the court discharged him of eight of the 15 charges.

[00:05:57]And then he appealed. And the appeal court, unanimously, three judges, they discharged him of the remaining seven charges. And as a matter that he should be released. And instead of uh releasing Nnamdi Kanu, federal government appealed.

[00:06:14]But you also remember that in this country, when ASUU, federal government went to court against ASUU, went to Industrial National Industrial Court. National Industrial Court said that ASUU should first you know, observe this thing.

[00:06:31]Federal government insisted that ASUU should first obey the court order before appealing. And we are asking federal government, why in the case of Nnamdi Kanu, why have you failed to obey court order before appealing? And in any way, you say you've appealed to the Supreme Court. What are the charges against Nnamdi Kanu? What are the charges? And again, the federal government insisted that after delivering that unanimous judgment, within 48 hours, the three judges were transferred out of Abuja punitively.

[00:07:03]And we are asking, are we in democracy?

[00:07:05]And so, when the senators rejected the free motion, of course, some of them are lawyers and they know that motion has no force of law. I had expected the senator to say, "Look, our colleagues from southeast, you've demonstrated patriotism. We should go beyond motion and compel Mr. President to obey the law by obeying the court order."

[00:07:27]Federal government is supposed to obey the court order by releasing Nnamdi Kanu before appealing as they insisted that ASUU should do. I belong to ASUU and I know that federal government insisted that we should obey. And we obeyed. And so, why hasn't federal government obeyed this? And in any way, what are the charges against Mr. Nnamdi Kanu at the Supreme Court? So, government is violating laws with impunity.

[00:07:50]The rule of law doesn't seem to exist again in Nigeria. It's like we here is lawless state. So, so is is this the is this the uh you know, elders' approach?

[00:08:01]>> Yes. Yes. Thank you so much. Igbo elders No, no, no. Igbo elders No, no, no. Igbo elders Igbo We've discussed this severally. We've reached out to the media. So, I'm not saying that the way the Igbo elders didn't meet on the bed, several Igbo elders have expressed this. Let by our chairman, His Excellency Dr. Chukwuemeka Ezeife, Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu, and others.

[00:08:27]Even the new president general of Ohaneze Ndigbo, Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu. We have maintained the same thing, release Mr. Nnamdi Kanu. He has not committed any offense. That's on one hand, but on the other hand, I'm coming to Chika Mazi now. On the other hand, because we seem to have another problem and it has to do with the sit-at-home. A part of Nigeria in crisis also mean that the entire country is in crisis. What I see in the southeast. If the southeast economy is going down because of sit-at-home or some other crimes and criminality, then Nigerians should be worried. Let us in on what you say you did while in government to the extent that well, for 8 years, there was peace and calm in Abia state.

[00:09:16]Let's see the Abia The Abia example is simple. You know, Governor Ikpeazu at a point was unanimously given the award of the best governor in security in the southeast.

[00:09:29]The entire diaspora But but by who? By the Telegraph newspaper, you know, an [clears throat] independent body. And Abike Dabiri, the lady in charge of the diaspora, took the whole of Igbos from all over the world to Abia for a convention just last year because that was the safest place anybody could go.

[00:09:49]Everybody from everywhere in the world came to Abia. What did Ikpeazu do do right? You see, because you see, a governor is a prototype of a president.

[00:09:59]And you have to understand the microcosm before you can apply it on the macrocosm.

[00:10:05]First of all, you cannot fight insecurity without a buying of the citizens.

[00:10:12]You cannot legislate an end to the sit-at-home.

[00:10:16]You cannot use the gun and the bullet to stop sit-at-home.

[00:10:20]You have to talk to the mind of the people. There must be a a meeting.

[00:10:25]You cannot at any time do anything about insecurity until there is a buying.

[00:10:32]Until the citizens themselves take ownership of their own security. Until there is that connect.

[00:10:39]As long as there is apathy.

[00:10:41]As long as the people do not believe in the people in government. As long as the senators come here in Abuja and blow their grammar and they could not go back to their villages. You have not solved the problem. So, what is it that we can do to actually make sure that that detachment between the government and the governed is that that bridge is actually broken so that people can come together because politicians must not come to a point where the people are afraid of them.

[00:11:10]And people are more at home with non-state actors.

[00:11:14]What is it that we are doing wrong as a political class? But that's what's happened now. People people people listen to the non-state actors. listen to non- I agree with you 100%. People tend to listen to non-state actors. But in Abia, Governor Ikpeazu sat down with them.

[00:11:29]And he discussed with them especially the The youth of Nigeria are angry.

[00:11:34]And they are justifiably angry.

[00:11:36]You have to create jobs, massive direct and indirect job creation must be done.

[00:11:42]Whether it is in the South East or in the South West or in the North East or in the North West, the youth must be employed.

[00:11:49]The youth must know that this country represents hope and prospects. That's number one. Number two, you must make local governments to work.

[00:12:01]Local governments in Nigeria are frustrated.

[00:12:04]In Abia, where I come from today, there are no local government executives. Either the transition committee or elected. Under Governor Ikpeazu, we did local government election twice.

[00:12:17]Governor Ikpeazu did that so that the young people going back to contest for counselor, going back to contest for chairman, going back to get involved, they feel a sense of belonging. So, when you make >> you off. Two key things here. Sorry to cut you off. Two key things here.

[00:12:30]>> coming to the third one because you see, if you don't employ the youth. If you don't make the local governments to work. I'll let you go on the third one, but again, quickly here, two things here. Job creation and local government administration. Are you saying after your governor left office, these people who were once employed or engaged suddenly lost their jobs? In Abia, I just have As at yesterday, 7,000 people have been sacked by the new government. You see, if you look at what is happening in Abia and in Kano, where there is a hostile takeover of government in terms of one party taking over from another party. You see, there is been government of vendetta.

[00:13:13]Government of reversal of gains.

[00:13:15]Government of trying to prove that oh, because you did not exercise your democratic franchise in our favor.

[00:13:22]>> 7,000 people sacked.

[00:13:23]>> 7,000 people sacked. And local government workers, as we speak, for 2 months in Abia State, local government workers have not been paid. They are going undergoing what is called re-verification.

[00:13:35]In this time, when there are no petrols, when transport has gone up, when people are going through perilous times, somebody sits on that location. By the way, Abia State has gotten about 45 billion.

[00:13:48]>> quickly go to the third one so that we can go >> one is that Like I said, there must be massive employment. When we were there, the governor of Abia State created what we call the TIMAS, Transport Management Corporation of Abia State. We created a We created a Appia Star. We created Abia State Transport. All of these were deliberate, definite measures taken to engage, to bring in the youth.

[00:14:10]>> ceased. And all of these have been dissolved. So, when you see that as at yesterday, I wish you can bring the video here. As at yesterday, two policemen were shot dead.

[00:14:22]Our brothers of the Nigerian police accompanying the commissioner to Ariaria Market were shot dead.

[00:14:28]And there is riot at Umuahia North Local Government. There are riots all over the place because of what? Because when you do not ensure through succession, political or otherwise, that there is a continuity of the gains, not just for political expediency, when you try to run a government of vendetta, what you end up doing is you dissolve all the gains that have been done. And like I said, like my brother equally said, you must engage the people. You see, I want to appeal to the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Let us not be legalistic about insecurity in Nigeria.

[00:15:02]Let me Let me Let me Let me Let me Let me Let me come in before you you come in. Just expatiate on that.

[00:15:06]>> Yes. Yes. Yes. Professor Charles Wonka, quickly, I want you to expatiate on that because he's giving about four key things here. And this again speaks to how politicians can also contribute to peace or otherwise. In this case, he said it's almost all the structures put in place to engage people have been stopped in Abia State. Now, how can politicians [clears throat] understand that there is, irrespective of the government in office, that the people uh the are the paramount, you know, essence rather the essence why you're in government.

[00:15:45]Well, um what my colleague said is news to me.

[00:15:49]So, I am I don't have full details of that. But I want to believe that government is supposed to be a continuous process. Okay? But at the same time, you know that the new administration you have there, uh they had their campaign They had their manifesto.

[00:16:09]I wouldn't know the details of what have been done and so forth. Is it possible that they are reassessing the whole thing or not? I wouldn't want to talk about it. Let me talk on the insecurity.

[00:16:21]Okay? Now, you'll find out that generally, according to Karl Marx, conflicts in every society are caused by the struggle between two major classes over the control of material resources.

[00:16:39]The have and the have-nots.

[00:16:41]And when And you know that they have often less than 5% of the state, they control over 90% of the resources. And you keep on having that constant struggle. And so, as you rightly pointed out, you have insecurity throughout the country. But that of South East is an exceptional case because of massive deprivation over many years, marginalization, and complete exclusion of the people from governance.

[00:17:15]We are talking of a people, South East, was part of uh Eastern Region.

[00:17:21]Eastern Region, between 1960 and 1965, was rated by the World Bank as the fastest growing economy in the world. 9%.

[00:17:35]Fastest growing economy in the world.

[00:17:38]And so, and the South East is the center of that Eastern Region. And today, we are having sit-at-home. We are having everything. You come to the national here, you see that the people from the South East are marginalized.

[00:17:53]Our youth, our graduates, are not recruited in the public service. That's why the citizens of federal character, as contained in section 14, subsection three. You know, you know >> Promotion, our people excluded. Security agencies, our people excluded. And people and the youth are not happy. They believe that we are not doing anything.

[00:18:12]And that's why our elders, you know, you asked me before what we've been doing. We've been reaching out to them, pleading with them that we want peace.

[00:18:20]That they should give us time to talk with the federal government. We've been talking with the federal government, but it's like federal government doesn't want to listen. But that notwithstanding, we still appeal to our youth to exercise patience. We believe that perhaps the new administration may look into the case of South East. Here is We are talking of a place where Quickly here before we wrap up with Chika Onyeka, what what's What are the demands? First >> The demand is peace. Specifically, you you spoke about Nnamdi Kanu release.

[00:18:56]Now, you're talking about people being marginalized. You're talking about joblessness. What do they want? The youth want to be included in whatever that is being done in Nigeria.

[00:19:07]Now, our youth, you see, federal character, as contained in subsection 14, subsection three.

[00:19:14]Okay? Say that every section of Nigeria should be accommodated in whatever government does in order to give that section a sense of belonging. Let me Let me Let me Let me bring Let me bring in the lawyer here so that we can Sorry to cut you here. Let me finish. Let me finish. So, you find out that under that federal character, our people, they score very high in JAMB, they are not given enough admission. They perform well in civil service job recruitment, they are not recruited because you want to reflect other places. But when it comes to politics, we excluded. And so, you see that the implementation of federal character is selective and at the detriment of people of South East. And the youth are crying.

[00:19:52]Uh Barrister Chika can now a plethora of demands to the extent that it could get so foggy because you really can't So, in a minute, let us in Let me comment President Tinubu on one ground.

[00:20:08]He has brought in a very holistic approach. The South East is included at least in the service chiefs that have been appointed. That's a kudo, and that's a positive sign that President Tinubu wants an all-inclusive situation. South East is now included at least in the security apparatus of the country. Two, President Tinubu has also, you know, an obligation, a responsibility, to continue to go via the political solution because you cannot be legalistic about peace.

[00:20:45]The Abia example as initiated and implemented by Governor Ikpeazu for 8 years that worked should be implemented.

[00:20:53]One, massive employment. I heard when the labor chief was speaking. I need him to also say that we need massive employment.

[00:21:01]I'm money again to Bye-bye.

[00:21:15]Commissioner