I’ve activated strategy to secure Nnamdi Kanu’s release — Gov Otti

Governor Alex Otti of Abia State says plans are in motion to secure the release of convicted Indigenous People of Biafra, IPoB, leader, Nnamdi Kanu.

Otti said he had already activated a strategy to secure Kanu’s final freedom which, according to him, he had earlier initiated during Kanu’s trial.

The governor, in a statement released by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr Ferdinand Ekeoma, said: “While Mazi Nnamdi Kanu is free to appeal his conviction, I’m happy to inform you that I have activated and will continue to work on the already agreed strategy until his freedom is secured.”

He explained that he had also communicated some of the agreements reached with “the highest authorities” in the land during his visit to Kanu at the custody of the Department of State Services, DSS, in Abuja.

Otti, who decried the lack of tact by the authorities in handling the grievances of the IPoB at the initial stage, however, sued for peace, as political options would be exploited to permanently resolve it.

“The poor management of the IPoB issue at the incubation stage created the problem we have today, hence we cannot allow it to linger and create a bigger monstrous situation for us,” Otti regretted.

He, however, warned politicians against playing politics with Kanu’s affairs, saying: “May I caution politicians who have positioned themselves to play petty and dirty politics with the travails of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu to jettison the idea, and rather work with us to secure his freedom.

I am also happy to collaborate with other well-meaning Nigerians who genuinely want this problem resolved, to push for his freedom through the same diplomacy and dialogue with the federal government, which though did not create the problem, but can courageously and compassionately solve it and take the credit.

Without doubt, this development has broken a lot of our people and created an atmosphere of shock and sorrow in Abia and beyond. It would be recalled that in September 2017 when soldiers invaded the family home of Mazi Kanu, leading to destruction of property and loss of lives, I immediately and strongly condemned that avoidable act and appealed that dialogue should henceforth be explored as the best approach to resolving the IPoB issue.”