ONITSHA – Leader of the Biafra Independence Movement (BIM) and Movement for the Actualization of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB), Chief Ralph Uwazuruike, has criticized the Federal Government over its continued detention of the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, despite a Court of Appeal ruling ordering his release.
In a strongly worded telephone interview, Uwazuruike described Kanu’s prolonged incarceration as a “shameless disregard” for judicial authority and a deliberate act of oppression against the Igbo people. He accused the Federal Government of pursuing a political vendetta by refusing to implement the Appeal Court’s October 2022 ruling, which discharged and acquitted Kanu.
Uwazuruike decried what he called the “manipulation of justice,” stating, “If the Federal Government didn’t like the decision of the Appeal Court, they should obey it first. It’s their court.”
He described the government’s move to reopen proceedings at the lower Federal High Court as unjustifiable and disrespectful to the judiciary.
He further alleged ethnic bias in the treatment of Kanu compared to other agitators, referencing Yoruba activist Sunday Igboho, who was released without similar legal wrangling.
“What is the difference between Igboho and Kanu? One is Yoruba, the other is Igbo. That’s the only difference,” he asserted.
Uwazuruike condemned the Federal Government’s alleged protection of real threats like armed Fulani herdsmen, while targeting Kanu with what he called “ridiculous evidence” such as laptops and phones. He said the continued detention was part of a broader plan to suppress and humiliate the Igbo, especially with the 2027
