Media entrepreneur and publisher of Ovation Magazine, Dele Momodu, has said that the continued detention of the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, will not end the agitation in the South-East.
He stressed that Kanu’s struggle represents deep-rooted frustration among the Igbo people over decades of marginalisation.
In a post on his X handle on Tuesday, Momodu shared a video of Kanu’s old broadcast, which he said was made shortly before his abduction from Kenya by the Nigerian government in 2021.
According to him, the video showed Kanu reflecting on the reasons he and his supporters became radicalised, a revelation Momodu described as “thought-provoking” and one that deserves sober reflection rather than condemnation.
He had listened carefully to Kanu’s critics and found that many had failed to examine the underlying causes of renewed Biafra agitation.
He linked the growing sympathy for Kanu’s cause to the “continuing marginalisation of the Igbo”, which he said has deprived some of the most talented and energetic minds in Africa of opportunities to contribute meaningfully to national growth.
“The continuing marginalisation of the Igbo and deprivation accorded some of the most energetic and vibrant brains in Africa rekindled the Biafra sentiment,” Momodu wrote.
He noted that the memories of the 1960s pogrom, which claimed millions of lives and destroyed properties in the defunct Eastern Region, continue to shape the South-East’s political identity and sense of alienation.
“Attempts by enemies of Kanu, including his own kinsmen, to exterminate him will never solve the problem. The Igbo struggle goes beyond legalese and requires serious political reconfiguration, and urgently too,” he said.
While making it clear that he does not support violence, Momodu urged the federal government to adopt a more inclusive approach that engages rather than alienates the region.
“I will never support violence, but any sensible government will keep the geniuses of the South-East very busy with productive engagements, instead of this rabid hatred,” he wrote.
Momodu ended his post with the hashtag #FreeNnamdiKanuNow, joining a growing number of voices calling for the release of the detained IPOB leader, who is currently standing trial for terrorism and incitement to violence.
Leave a Comment