RULAAC Says Nigeria Must Release Nnamdi Kanu, Seek Dialogue To Achieve Peace In South-east

Nwanguma explained that IPOB did not emerge in a vacuum but evolved from earlier non-violent self-determination movements such as the Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB).

The Rule of Law and Accountability Advocacy Centre (RULAAC) has said that Nigeria cannot achieve lasting peace and stability in the South-East through militarisation and repression, but through a political solution rooted in dialogue, justice, and inclusion.

In a statement issued on Sunday by its Executive Director, Okechukwu Nwanguma, RULAAC stated that the crisis in the South-East is deeply intertwined with the political question surrounding the continued detention of Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).

Nwanguma said, “The insecurity ravaging Nigeria’s Southeast cannot be fully understood outside the political question surrounding the detention of Nnamdi Kanu.

“The debate over whether to release him, or to pursue a political solution to the agitation he symbolizes, goes to the heart of Nigeria’s crisis of governance, justice, and national cohesion.”

Nwanguma explained that IPOB did not emerge in a vacuum but evolved from earlier non-violent self-determination movements such as the Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB).

These groups, he said, gained legitimacy from widespread feelings of exclusion and injustice in post-war Nigeria.

Initially, IPOB mobilised through peaceful protests against marginalisation, poor governance, and police brutality.

However, around 2012, state repression intensified, leading to a hardening of the group’s rhetoric and tactics.

He noted that the creation of the Eastern Security Network (ESN), originally meant to protect communities from armed herders, became a turning point that led to clashes with security agencies and infiltration by criminal elements.

“The government’s collective punishment and militarised response, raids, mass arrests, torture, and extrajudicial killings, only fed into the narrative of persecution,” Nwanguma said. “The cycle of violence and vengeance became self-sustaining.”

The RULAAC director emphasised that Kanu’s extraordinary rendition from Kenya in 2021 and his continued detention, despite court orders for his release, have become both a symbol and a catalyst of unrest in the region.

“Kanu’s case transcends legality; it represents a deep moral and political question: can Nigeria build peace through vengeance?” Nwanguma asked.

He argued that those who oppose Kanu’s release often cite national security concerns, but that position is undermined by the government’s pattern of disobeying its own court orders.

“Kanu’s prolonged detention has not weakened the agitation nor restored order,” he said.

“Instead, it has fractured IPOB and spawned criminal splinter groups, some led by individuals like Simon Ekpa, whose violent enforcement of sit-at-home orders has inflicted immense suffering on the people of the South-East.”

Even IPOB’s mainstream leadership, he noted, has distanced itself from such violent methods, insisting that indefinite sit-at-home directives cripple the economy, shut down schools, and harm ordinary citizens.

Across the South-East, Nwanguma said, youth unemployment, poverty, and the collapse of public institutions have created fertile ground for criminality.

Many disillusioned young people, he noted, have joined gangs masquerading as “freedom fighters.”

“The state, instead of addressing root causes, has doubled down on violence,” he said, citing notorious security units like the Tiger Base in Owerri and the Anti-Kidnapping Squad in Enugu as examples of agencies accused of torture, arbitrary detention, and extrajudicial killings.

He recalled that young men are often profiled as IPOB members or cybercriminals simply for having dreadlocks or laptops.

“Some never return home,” he said, referencing the case of Gloria Okolie, who was detained unlawfully for months without trial and whose release order was ignored by the police.

RULAAC maintained that Nigeria stands at a crossroads and must embrace a political, not military, approach to the South-East crisis.

“The call for a political solution is not a call for impunity, it is a call for pragmatism and peace,” Nwanguma said.

“A political approach would involve dialogue, confidence-building, and addressing structural grievances through economic inclusion, youth empowerment, and justice reform.”

He added that history offers examples where dialogue brought peace: the Niger Delta amnesty program reduced militancy, while South Africa’s Truth and Reconciliation process fostered national healing.

“The same government is openly negotiating with armed bandits in the North. Why then should dialogue be taboo when it comes to the South-East?” he asked.

To break what it called “the vicious cycle of repression and retaliation,” RULAAC recommended the release of Kanu or resolving his case through dialogue and due process, warning that continued defiance of court orders undermines the rule of law.

The group further recommended, “Demilitarise the Southeast. Replace soldiers with community policing, intelligence-led investigations, and engagement with credible local actors.

“Address root causes – youth unemployment, poverty, and the perception of political exclusion. End the collective punishment of Igbo communities and the arbitrary labeling of young people as terrorists.

“Investigate and sanction abuses by security forces, and prosecute criminal elements exploiting the agitation.”

Nwanguma said that peace in the South-East will not come from brute force or indefinite detention but from dialogue, inclusion, and justice.

“Nnamdi Kanu’s case is not merely a legal matter; it is a test of Nigeria’s capacity for reconciliation and statecraft,” he said.

“Releasing Kanu under a political arrangement anchored on justice and peacebuilding will not weaken the state; it will strengthen it by reaffirming its humanity and legitimacy.”

He urged the Nigerian government to choose “dialogue over domination, inclusion over impunity, and healing over humiliation,” stressing that these remain the only viable paths to lasting peace and national unity.

SAHARA REPORTERS