Ohanaeze Demands Tinubu Grants Amnesty To Nnamdi Kanu By June 12 To Bring National Healing

The apex Igbo socio-cultural organisation, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, has urged President Bola Tinubu to grant amnesty to the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, on or before June 12, 2026, saying the release is a symbolic step toward national reconciliation and political stability.

In a statement signed by its factional Deputy President-General, Okechukwu Isiguzoro, and National Publicity Secretary, Chief Thompson Ohia, the group argued that timing Kanu’s release with Democracy Day would serve as a “restorative gesture” capable of cooling long-running tensions in the South-East.

The organisation insisted that Kanu’s agitation has been widely misread, arguing that his ideological stance aligns more closely with the “Biafra of the Mind” philosophy associated with late statesman Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu than with a renewed secessionist project.

According to Ohanaeze, the framework being advanced by Kanu is rooted in dialogue, identity consciousness, and demands for equity within a restructured federation, rather than violent separation.

The group further traced Kanu’s early activism to his association with Ralph Uwazuruike, founder of the Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra, Ralph Uwazuruike, noting that his initial posture was largely non-violent before political and security tensions escalated over time.

Ohanaeze also attempted to downplay fears that Kanu’s release could destabilise the polity or affect the 2027 election calculations, arguing instead that it could strengthen Tinubu’s political standing in the South-East if handled as a reconciliation strategy.

The group, however, went further to allege that opposition politicians — including former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, Labour Party’s Peter Obi, and NNPP leader Rabiu Kwankwaso — may be benefiting politically from Kanu’s continued detention as they position themselves ahead of the 2027 general elections.

While commending the Tinubu administration for ongoing infrastructure interventions in the South-East, the group said road rehabilitation projects, though notable, fall short of the political symbolism that Kanu’s release would carry.

It maintained that granting amnesty would open a new chapter of trust between the federal government and the South-East, insisting that Kanu would not return to agitation if released but would instead engage in structured national dialogue.

“Ohanaeze Ndigbo believes that granting amnesty to Nnamdi Kanu will open a new chapter of trust, unity, and cooperative nation-building,” the statement read.