Former Senate Minority Leader, Enyinnaya Abaribe, has reacted to the conviction and life sentence handed to Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the proscribed Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB), saying the outcome was expected.
In a statement issued on Thursday by his media adviser, Uchenna Awom, Abaribe described the judgment as the result of a long-standing plan, adding that the decision did not come as a surprise to the Igbo people and many Nigerians.
He said the Federal Government’s refusal to consider appeals to extend amnesty to Kanu—similar to what was granted to militants in the South-South and insurgents in parts of the North—made Wednesday’s verdict inevitable.
According to him, governments at various levels had engaged in negotiations and peace deals with armed groups in the North-East and North-West, while ex-militants in the Niger Delta were given amnesty and awarded pipeline protection contracts. He argued that the South-East had not been treated with the same fairness.
“We are not surprised. We have consistently urged caution and even pleaded for clemency for the sake of unity and inclusiveness,” he said.
Abaribe added that the Igbo nation now looks to President Bola Tinubu for intervention in the matter. He appealed to residents of the region and supporters nationwide to remain calm and avoid taking the law into their own hands.
“May Nigeria succeed, thrive and advance in justice, equity and fairness,” the senator said.
