On Thursday, September 25, 2025, elder statesman and President of the Osisioma Foundation, Dr. Chike Obidigbo, called on President Bola Tinubu to adopt a political solution for the detention of Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) leader Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, warning that failure to do so could destabilize the South East and spark national tensions, as stated in a personally signed statement (Web:0, Web:1). Obidigbo criticized the silence of Nigeria’s political class on Kanu’s deteriorating health, accusing South East leaders of failing to advocate for him while other regions resolve internal issues collectively (Web:0). He compared Kanu to Nelson Mandela, noting that unlike armed insurgents granted amnesty, Kanu faces prosecution for demanding restructuring via referendum (Web:0, Web:2).
Obidigbo questioned Kanu’s “double jeopardy” for expressing frustrations over Nigeria’s “malformed entity,” amid calls for constitutional review post-2014 amalgamation expiration (Web:0). He warned that Kanu’s plight could reignite civil war-like strife and urged the Department of State Services (DSS) to allow specialist medical treatment to alleviate fears (Web:0). Obidigbo appealed to Tinubu to extend the Rivers State reconciliation model to Kanu, cautioning that inaction might fuel perceptions of electoral manipulation in the South East (Web:0). X posts from @ChikeObidigbo (September 25, 2025) amplified the call, while @Naija_Activist noted 69% Igbo support for Kanu’s release (Afrobarometer, 2025) (Post:3). The statement underscores rising separatist sentiments amid 1,200 South East arrests since 2022 (ACLED, 2025).
Leave a Reply