Gov Otti activates new strategy to free Nnamdi Kanu

Abia State Governor, Dr Alex Otti, says the process to secure the release of the jailed Independent People of Biafra (IPOB) leader, Nnamdi Kanu, has formally begun, stressing that Thursday’s Federal High Court verdict “is not yet the end of the road.”

Kanu was on November 20, 2025 convicted of terrorism-related charges and handed a life sentence by a Federal High Court in Abuja — a judgment Otti noted had plunged Abia and the wider Southeast into grief.

In a statement issued on Friday, the governor acknowledged that the ruling had “broken a lot of our people,” but revealed that a diplomatic framework earlier agreed with the Federal Government to address Kanu’s case had now been triggered following the court’s decision.

Otti noted that his position on resolving the IPOB issue through dialogue has been consistent since 2017, when soldiers stormed Kanu’s home in Afaraukwu, Umuahia. He said he condemned the attack and reiterated the warnings he gave in his ThisDay article, “Operation Python Dance: Killing a Fly With a Sledgehammer,” where he argued that aggressive tactics would deepen, rather than resolve, the crisis.

“The poor management of the IPOB issue at the incubation stage created the problem we have today,” he said. “Leadership requires emotional intelligence, restraint, and tolerance rather than force and violence.”

The governor disclosed that he began engaging senior federal officials as far back as December 22, 2023, exploring a political and diplomatic route for resolving the matter. He said certain understandings were reached, but they were tied to the conclusion of Kanu’s trial.

“Now that judgment has been delivered, the alternative resolution will kick in,” Otti explained, adding that he had earlier briefed Kanu on the approach during a visit to him in DSS custody.

He assured that he is committed to pursuing the agreed strategy until Kanu is released and expressed readiness to work with other Nigerians acting in good faith.

Otti appealed for calm among residents, urging them to avoid statements or actions that could heighten tensions or compromise ongoing engagement with the Federal Government.

“With the assurances I have received, a resolution is in sight and Mazi Kanu will receive his freedom,” he said.

He further cautioned political actors against exploiting Kanu’s ordeal, insisting that collective effort and unity are needed to achieve peace.

Reaffirming his stance, Otti said he would continue to rely on “wisdom, high-level dialogue and diplomacy” to ensure lasting stability in the Southeast.

The governor then released the full text of his statement, beginning with:“Yesterday, Thursday November, 20, 2025, a Federal High Court sitting in Abuja found our son and a citizen of the state, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu guilty of terrorism-related offences and subsequently sentenced him to life imprisonment…”