Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), on Wednesday, denounced the killings in the South-East over the group’s agitation for secession. He also appealed for an out-of-court settlement of his ongoing treason trial by the Federal Government.
The IPOB leader, who has been in detention since 2021 following his re-arrest in Kenya and repatriation to Nigeria, appealed on Wednesday when he appeared for the continuation of his trial at the Federal High Court in Abuja.
A viral video clip on Wednesday captured him denouncing killings in the South-East fuelled by IPOB’s agitation for separation of the Igbo from Nigeria.
In a conversation with his lawyers, who pointed out to him that he needed to speak up to stop the killings, Kanu said, “I condemn any manner of killing. Every manner of killing, I condemn in its entirety.
“I want people to understand that IPOB was founded on a non-violent principle and we maintain that till today. Some of these soldiers, we’re told, are also our people. And the families are now in mourning. All the making of young widows is condemned in its entirety. I don’t want it, I don’t want anybody to die.
“We are fighting for freedom, then how can we fight death? It’s not possible; we want people to be free. That’s all we’re fighting for, nothing more.
“We’ve suffered a lot in Africa, I don’t know if you know that. Africans have suffered – from slavery in (Saudi) Arabia, to slavery in Europe, to slavery in America. So, I think we should focus our time and devote it towards making sure that this continent stands up to what God promised is going to be.”
