The youth wing of the apex Igbo socio-cultural organisation, Ohanaeze Ndigbo Youth Council (OYC), yesterday, called on President Muhammadu Buhari to honour his earlier stance on the ongoing trial of the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu.

Recall that while responding to appeals by traditional, religious and political leaders from the South
East for the release of detained leader of IPOB, the president had said: ‘’I have listened carefully to appeals, from elders to traditional leaders, regarding a wide range of options, and as I have said earlier, this matter remains in the purview of the courts where it will be properly adjudicated.”

However, just last week, the Court of Appeal acquitted Kanu. But the excitement that greeted the court order is gradually dying down with the Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, declaring that Kanu would not be released anytime soon.

Reacting to the development, the National President of Ohanaeze Youth Council, Okwu Nnabuike, said President Buhari should show leadership by respecting his own words.

MEANWHILE, the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has criticised Malami over his statement that Igbo governors and politicians will decide whether Kanu would be released unconditionally or not.

The group described the statement coming from the chief law officer of the country as a joke and charged Malami to focus on the substance of the Appeal Court’s judgement and stop chasing shadows.

In a statement, yesterday, the Media and Publicity Secretary of IPOB, Emma Powerful, said such statements from the Nigerian Government are one among many justifications for calling the country “Zoological Republic of Nigeria.”

The statement reads in part: “The attention of IPOB has been drawn to the unintelligent, disgraceful and incoherent statements credited to Malami that the Igbo governors and politicians will decide whether Kanu will be released unconditionally or not.

“IPOB believes that these Igbo governors and politicians, who Malami want to turn into a reviewing panel of the judgement of the Court of Appeal, know the game and evil intention of the AGF, and will not fall for his Greek poison, packaged in deceptive form of making them relevant.

“IPOB can confidently say that these governors and politicians are more intelligent than the AGF.

“This government thinks that its divide and conquer tactics, in its attempt to shift the responsibility of continued illegal incarceration of Kanu to governors and politicians of South East extraction, will work.”