Nnamdi Kanu’s release will bring peace to South-East  —  Ned Nwoko

Senator Ned Nwoko, representing Delta North, says peace has continued to elude the South-East region because of the perceived injustice and marginalisation faced by the zone under successive Nigerian governments.

Speaking on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics on Sunday night, October 26, Nwoko said the Federal Government could restore peace in the region by addressing two key issues, the creation of Anioma State and the release of the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu.

“The problem in the South-East has to do with the perceived injustice by successive governments,” Nwoko said.

“So, what needs to be done, and it’s one of the reasons I am here today, is the creation of a new state to make up the number to six, and then the release of Nnamdi Kanu. By the time you do these two things, I am almost certain that peace will return to the South-East.”

The lawmaker, who is championing the creation of Anioma State from the present Delta State to become the sixth state in the South-East, argued that the imbalance in the number of states among Nigeria’s regions has contributed to political and economic inequality.

He also maintained that Kanu’s prolonged detention has further deepened grievances and unrest in the region.

“Nnamdi Kanu is being held unjustly. His incarceration is the main reason for the continued unrest in the South-East,” he said.
Kanu, who has been in the custody of the Department of State Services (DSS) since his re-arrest in June 2021, is facing terrorism-related charges at the Federal High Court in Abuja.

Several political and traditional leaders from the region have repeatedly called for his release through a political settlement. On the proposed Anioma State, Nwoko expressed optimism that it would be approved, saying the move has already gained traction at the National Assembly.

“The National Assembly has set up a committee to decide which state to choose from the South-East. There are about seven proposals, and we are one of them. At the public hearing in Enugu, we presented our case, so I am almost certain that we will be chosen,” he said.