January 03, (THEWILL) – The family of Nnamdi Kanu has expressed disappointment over the failure of President Bola Tinubu to keep to his promise of releasing the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) from prison custody.
The IPOB leader had been in the detention facility of the Department of State Services (DSS) since June 27, 2021, when he was extradited to Nigeria after he was re-arrested in Kenya on June 19, 2021.
In a statement on Thursday, his younger brother, Prince Emmanuel Kanu, claimed there was a purported agreement between Tinubu’s son, Seyi, and the family before the 2023 general election.
According to Emmanuel, the deal required IPOB to refrain from disrupting the election in exchange for Kanu’s freedom if Tinubu became president. He claimed that Seyi, with the approval of his father, personally met with him in Abuja shortly before the election, where both parties agreed on conditions for Kanu’s release.
Emmanuel expressed disappointment that nearly two years after the emergence of Tinubu as President, his brother (Kanu), has continued to languish in detention.
”Before the last election, I received a message from an ex-governor that Seyi, the son of President Tinubu, wanted to see me. I agreed to meet with him on the condition that the overriding priority and hence the fulcrum of our discussion will be the release of my brother. The meeting was held in Abuja in the presence of another individual whom I asked along to witness the deliberations and provide independent verification should the need arise”, he said.
