Amid calls for the unconditional release of detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, the Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Public Communication and Orientation, Sunday Dare, yesterday, faulted insinuations in some quarters that there is no difference between Kanu, who is currently serving a life imprisonment for terrorism charges and the Yoruba nation activist, Sunday Adeyemo, popularly known as Sunday Igboho.
 
A traditional ruler from the South-East, Eze Ogbunechendo of Ezema Olo Kingdom, Dr Lawrence Agubuzu, had, during the 2026 National Traditional and Religious Leaders Summit on Health held at the State House Conference Centre, Abuja, appealed President Bola Tinubu to release the convicted IPOB leader or return him to Kenya, where he was arrested, warning that his continued detention was fuelling agitation among youths in the region.
   
He said: “I must tell you, Mr President, that personally I don’t feel very happy because you were not here in the morning when the Ooni of Ife gave the opening remarks and was encouraging us to work as one,” he said.
 
The Enugu-based monarch questioned the sincerity of the unity message, alleging that the Ooni was arranging to confer a high traditional honour on the Yoruba Nation activist, Sunday Igboho, whom he described as Kanu’s counterpart in the South-West.
 
“Please, do something about this. We cannot make progress in this country if we don’t tell ourselves the truth,” Agubuzu told the President.
 
However, Dare argued that while Kanu engaged in insurrection and armed confrontation with the Nigerian state, which resulted in the killing of more than 700 innocent people, economic paralysis of South-East states, Igboho’s activism centred on defending South-West communities against criminal activities of rogue herders and peaceful agitation for the Yoruba nation.
 
In a statement, Dare pointed out that there is no basis for comparison between the duo, noting that it is imperative to highlight the differences in proper perspective for a clearer understanding in the public domain.

According to the statement, “Nnamdi Kanu’s IPOB movement involved elements widely associated with insurrection and direct confrontation against the Nigerian state. This included enforcement of ‘sit-at-home’ orders (often through threats and violence), resulting in numerous deaths (reports cite over 700 fatalities linked to enforcement clashes and defiance killings).
 
“Other inimical activities include attacks on security forces, destruction of public infrastructure, and the formation of armed groups like the Easter Security Network (ESN). Kanu’s rhetoric and actions escalated to calls that many viewed as inciting violence against the state and even against his own people in the South-East, who defied orders.
   
“In contrast, Sunday Igboho’s activism centred on defending Yoruba communities, primarily against alleged killings, kidnappings, and farm destruction by suspected herders. He focused on self-defence, warding off criminal elements from Yoruba land.”