Kanu Our Crown Prince, Not A Terrorist – Umuahia Traditional Rulers Replies Justice Omotosho 

Traditional rulers in Umuahia North local government area of Abia State have absorbed the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) Nnamdi Kanu the accusation of being a terrorist as alleged by the federal government.

The traditional rulers who were reacting to the Justice James Omotosho’s judgment delivered by Justice James sentenced their son, Nnamdi Kanu, to life imprisonment.

Recall that Justice James Omotosho of the federal High Court in Abuja has affirmed that the IPOB leader, based on evidence presented before the court by the prosecution, was a terrorist, leading to his sentencing to life imprisonment while delivering judgment on the case preferred against Kanu by the federal government.

But the traditional rulers addressing journalists in Umuahia, the state capital, described Nnamdi Kanu as their illustrious son and Crown Prince of Isiama Afaraukwu-Ibeku community.

This is even as they insisted that the IPOB leader is not a terrorist as proclaimed by the court, but a freedom fighter who consistently spoke against the injustices and marginalization of his people, southeast and Nigerians as a whole.

The monarchs in a statement signed by Eze Innocent Adiele Nwaigwe, the Chairman of Umuahia North Traditional Rulers Council, Eze Chiabuotu Emelike, the Secretary, as well as Eze Nzenwata Mbakwe and Eze Eddy Ibeabuchi, which was made available to journalists said “for over a decade, our son has stood before the courts of this nation, enduring trials, detentions, and unimaginable hardships.

“The recent judgment, though deeply painful to us as fathers and leaders, however, does not erase what we know in truth: that Mazi Nnamdi Kanu is not a terrorist.

“He is a freedom fighter who has consistently spoken out against injustice and the marginalization of his people,” the monarchs declared.

Continuing, they said, “We insist, as we have always done, that our son remains innocent of the charges brought against him.

“The decisions pronounced by Justice Gbenga Omotosho do not diminish his spirit, nor do they extinguish the hope of millions who believe in justice, fairness, and the rule of law. Justice delayed may be painful, but justice denied cannot stand forever.”

The monarchs noted that the wheels of justice, though sometimes slow, would ultimately grind toward truth, pointing out that Nnamdi Kanu retains the legal and constitutional right to appeal the judgment all the way to the Supreme Court.

The traditional rulers renewing their call on President Bola Tinubu to exercise the prerogative of mercy vested in his office by granting presidential pardon to the IPOB leader, said that the youths of Umuahia North were pained by the judgment.

They called for peace, restraint and calm among the youths, appealing to them not to take the laws into their own hands.