Elder Statesman Raises Alarm Over Kanu’s Deteriorating Health

In a statement made available to newsmen, Obidigbo raised alarm over Kanu’s deteriorating health and lampooned the political elites in the South-East for their silence.

He further warned that failure to act could destabilise the South-East region and cause wider national unrest.

He said, “The troubling health condition of the IPOB leader should be a source of great worry to those in authority in Nigeria.”

Obidigbo compared Kanu’s ordeal to that of South Africa’s Nelson Mandela, stressing that Kanu’s prosecution was unjust. “Mandela was jailed for seeking freedom for his people, while Kanu is being punished for demanding equity and justice in Nigeria,” he declared.

He condemned the government’s handling of insurgents and bandits, contrasting it with Kanu’s treatment, saying, “We have seen people that took up arms in insurrection against Nigeria being offered amnesty.

“We have just witnessed armed bandits received on a red carpet, yet Nnamdi Kanu is kept in solitary confinement for calling for restructuring through referendum—the highest expression of democratic choice,” he added.

He also accused South-East leaders of cowardice submitting that,“I am compelled to believe that it is this intolerance of dissent that has frightened Igbo politicians, especially elected representatives, away from speaking about Mazi Nnamdi Kanu and the injustice against his cause.”

While calling for urgent medical attention, Obidigbo, he appealed to the Department of State Services to grant Kanu access to specialist care just as he faulted the media for failing to give the issue prominence it deserved, and urged journalists and civic leaders to speak up.

He urged President Bola Tinubu to extend to Kanu the same political solution used in resolving the Rivers State crisis.