A plea has been sent to the Federal Government, urging for the unconditional release of pro-Biafra activists and other individuals detained for advocating self-determination. This call, in line with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu's promise for a liberated society, was made by the Concerned Igbo Citizens Council (CICC).
In a statement released in Owerri, the interim National Coordinator, Comrade Ukachukwu Obioha, and interim National Secretary, Mazi James Okorie, emphasized the necessity of this action.
Highlighting the recent release of Sunday Igboho and Omoyele Sowore as praiseworthy, CICC stressed that similar clemency should be extended to Mazi Nnamdi Kanu and others detained for comparable causes. They criticized the perceived disparity in treatment between Igbo and Yoruba activists, deeming it as injecting ethnic and sectional bias into governmental decisions.
Furthermore, CICC called upon the relevant authorities, including the Department of State Services, Police, and National Human Rights Commission, to promptly investigate cases of violence, injury, and wrongful detention linked to self-determination campaigns nationwide.
Emphasizing the need for equity, CICC urged President Tinubu to broaden the amnesty offered to Igboho and Sowore to encompass other Yoruba youth supporting their cause. They asserted that continuing to detain these supporters while absolving the principal figures would constitute an injustice.
The group adamantly demanded the immediate release of Mazi Kanu and all detained Igbo and Eastern Nigerian youths associated with IPOB. They further implored governmental and non-governmental bodies to compile and disclose comprehensive records of individuals affected by self-determination activities.
In its mission to unite Nigerians for the defense of their rights, CICC called upon Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, Igbo governors, and other advocates for Kanu's release to also advocate for his supporters facing persecution.
