Bishops of the Catholic Ecclesiastical Province of Owerri, Imo State, have warned the Federal Government against mismanaging the case of Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB.
Following his rearrest and repartition from an undisclosed country, the Biafra freedom fighter is expected to appear before a Federal High Court in Abuja on Monday (today) to resume his trial after jumping bail in 2017.
The Catholic Bishops, in a communiqué at the end of their meeting at Ahiara, Mbaise, signed by Imo State by the Metropolitan Archbishop of Owerri, Most Rev. Anthony Obinna, Chairman, and Most Rev. Augustine Echema, Secretary, said the world is watching to see how the Federal Government handle the trial.
The Bishops urged the Federal Government to embark on dialogue with the agitators stating that the rearrest would not end agitation.
The communique reads, “His (Kanu) recent arrest is an opportunity for the government to initiate dialogues on the issues of justice, equity and fairness that underpin the agitation of his group and the agitation of other groups, like the one led by Sunday Adeyemo, popularly called Igboho, for the Yoruba nation, calling for self-determination and restructuring.
“It is worthy of note that the re-arrest of Nnamdi Kanu, will not end such agitations. The mismanagement of his case and any other will trigger avoidable unrest.
“We wish to state that the world is watching how the Federal Government is handling the case of the leader of IPOB, Nnamdi Kanu, who stands as a metaphor for political exclusion and marginalization.”
The revered Bishops called on the government to enhance security and peace by facilitating youth empowerment, ensuring regular payment of salaries and pensions, and establish social amenities to alleviate hardship ravaging Nigerians.
According to them, most of the people in society fall below the poverty index, stating that with such situation, tensions, conflicts and restiveness were expected to be on the increase.
