Monarch Urges Kanu’s Release, Tinubu’s Aide Rejects Comparison with Igboho

Calls for the release of the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, resurfaced on Tuesday as a South-East traditional ruler appealed to President Bola Tinubu to grant him freedom or return him to Kenya, where he was arrested.

Speaking at the 2026 National Traditional and Religious Leaders Summit on Health held at the State House Conference Centre in Abuja, Eze Ogbunechendo of Ezema Olo Kingdom, Dr. Lawrence Agubuzu, urged the President to address Kanu’s continued detention, warning that it was heightening tensions among youths in the South-East.

Agubuzu referenced remarks earlier made by the Ooni of Ife at the event, which emphasised national unity. He questioned the sincerity of such calls for togetherness, alleging that the Ooni was considering conferring a high traditional title on Yoruba Nation activist, Sunday Adeyemo, popularly known as Sunday Igboho, whom he described as Kanu’s South-West counterpart.

“We cannot make progress in this country if we do not tell ourselves the truth,” the monarch said, urging the President to intervene.

However, the Special Adviser to the President on Public Communication and Orientation, Sunday Dare, dismissed suggestions that Kanu and Igboho could be compared.

In a statement, Dare argued that Kanu’s activities through IPOB involved insurrection and armed confrontation with the Nigerian state, including the enforcement of sit-at-home orders that reportedly led to numerous deaths, attacks on security personnel, destruction of public infrastructure and the establishment of the Eastern Security Network (ESN).

He stated that Kanu’s rhetoric and actions were widely seen as inciting violence, resulting in economic disruption across parts of the South-East.

By contrast, Dare described Igboho’s activism as centred on defending communities in the South-West against criminal activities allegedly linked to rogue herders, as well as advocating for Yoruba self-determination.

“There is no basis for comparison between the two,” Dare maintained, stressing the need to present the issues in proper perspective to ensure public understanding.