A traditional ruler from Enugu State named Igwe Lawrence Agubuzu ambushed President Bola Tinubu last week during a health summit for traditional and religious leaders inside the presidential villa in Abuja when he pointedly asked him to either send Nnamdi Kanu back to Kenya or unconditionally release the convicted Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) leader.
When he was given the chance to speak to the group, Igwe Agubuzu made the demand.
The demand was largely seen as brave, particularly in light of the fact that many political figures who were meant to spearhead such initiatives have all remained mute out of fear.
As Agubuzu discussed Kanu’s experience and how his situation was comparable to that of Sunday Igboho, the Yoruba self-determination activist, President Tinubu, who never anticipated such a demand at that time, was observed giggling uncontrollably.
Nonetheless, Nigerians both domestically and abroad continue to praise and applaud Igwe Agubuzu’s demand.
In a statement, three American Igbo advocacy organizations—American Veterans of Igbo Descent (AVID), Ambassadors for Self-Determination (ASD), and Rising Sun Foundation (RSF)—praised the Enugu monarch for telling President Tinubu what many others have neglected to do.
We firmly applaud His Royal Majesty, Eze Agubuzu of Enugu for his unwavering bravery in telling President Bola Tinubu what other Igbo traditional rulers have been too cowardly, too weak, or too compromised to say: Release Onyendu Mazi Nnamdi Kanu immediately or return him to Kenya, according to a statement co-signed by Dr. Sylvester Onyia, AVID, Chief Evans Nwankwo, ASD, and Dr. Maxwell Dede.
As of right now, only two monarchs—Eze Agubuzu and Eze Chukwuemeka Eri—have openly acknowledged the extent of the suffering, injustice, and agony that Kanu’s unlawful confinement has caused our people.
“Most Igbo kings and chiefs, including the Obi of Onitsha and Eze Cletus Ilomuanya, remain silent while Fulani herder murderers are pampered, Yoruba agitators are free, and the Nigerian state continues to show contempt for Igbo humanity.” Their inaction is treachery; their quiet is complicity.
Since these so-called leaders are unable to defend the lives, liberty, and dignity of their own people, we ask bluntly: What are their titles and crowns worth? AlaIgbo cannot endure leaders who prioritize their own comfort over the good of the group.
The groups emphasized that the era of compromises, whispers, and veiled comments was ended and urged all Igbo traditional rulers to speak with one voice and to stop being cowardly and complicit.
Either take a bold stance in support of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu or move aside to give space to leaders who will. Those who decided to remain silent while our people endured injustice will not be forgiven by history, the statement continued.
Asserting that moral authority, not fear of Abuja, is what upholds a people’s dignity, the groups praised Agubuzu’s bravery.
Similarly, Prof. Leo Obinna, a lecturer at Michael Okpara University in Umudike, Imo State, has characterized Igwe Agubuzor as a brave and fearless king whose beliefs are in line with those of the majority of Igbo.
“We demand Nnamdi Kanu’s unconditional release by President Bola Tinubu. Igwe Agubuzor is a brave and fearless ruler. He informed the president only what we thought.
Few leaders will talk in the manner he did. He has my admiration and my praise.
“On Sunday, Igboho and Kanu committed the same well-known crime. He stated, “Igboho has been granted a pardon, and we have heard that the Ooni of Ife is attempting to bestow upon him one of the highest honors in Yoruba land, while our own Kanu is incarcerated.” He claimed that Kanu would have been freed if it had taken place in a another country where justice and equity are valued highly.
Igwe Agubuzor’s call for Kanu’s was welcomed by attorney Godwin Chinonye, who emphasized that the IPOB leader did nothing.
“The traditional monarch was absolutely right when he said that. People like Kanu were freed in other areas. “Yes, I am applauding the traditional for his remarks,” he wrote.
Okezie Ohajuruka, a lawyer from Umuahia, praised Agubuzu’s remarks, calling the monarch “the type of leader the Igbo need at this point in time; people who will speak truth to power.”
Igwe Agubuzu was also praised by Afaraukwu, Umuahia, Ikechukwu Ndubueze, the former president general of Kanu’s community, for speaking the truth to the president directly.
If the IPOB leader had been from another tribe, he should have been freed long ago, he added, and he urged other Igbo leaders to speak up so that their son could be freed.
If Kanu had been a Fulani or Yoruba man, I doubt he would still be behind bars. However, he stated that they would prefer that he die in prison since he is an Igbo man.