Former Senate Minority Leader, Enyinnaya Abaribe, has expressed dismay over the conviction and life sentencing of Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the proscribed Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB), for terrorism, describing the outcome as predictable and unsurprising.
In a statement issued through his Media Adviser, Uchenna Awom, the senator said the life imprisonment handed to Kanu was part of a preconceived plot, one that the Igbo nation and other conscientious Nigerians had anticipated.
Abaribe noted that when the Federal Government declined to consider pleas for extending amnesty to Kanu, unlike it had done for others, the current verdict became inevitable.
“Is it not ironic that negotiations and peace deals with terrorists in the North East and North West were welcomed by local, state, and federal authorities, just as amnesty was granted to ex-militants in the South South, who were rewarded with lucrative oil pipeline contracts? This clearly shows that justice in Nigeria is not applied equally, particularly for the South East,” Abaribe said.
He added, “So, we are not surprised. Our people can only endure and hope that one day justice in Nigeria will be upheld consistently. We have made repeated appeals for the authorities to exercise circumspection and, at the very least, consider pardon for the sake of national unity and inclusiveness.”
The senator emphasized that the Igbo nation now has no option but to place its trust in President Bola Tinubu.
“We urge the Igbo nation and all Nigerians who cherish the country to remain calm, continue to pray, and not take the law into their own hands. May Nigeria succeed, thrive, and advance in justice, equity, and fairness,” Abaribe concluded.
