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Who is Nnamdi Kanu?The controversial leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB has been in the news constantly over the last year.Here we take a closer look at the man by examining his profile,biography,wife and some interviews that helps to determine his state of mind.
The British-Nigerian citizen,as we all know was arrested in Lagos in October by Nigerian intelligence agents during a visit from London. He denies all six charges
against him, which include treasonable felony, a charge that carries a possible life sentence.
As you must have read in the news recently,he had a huge outburst in the court room on Decemeber 13 2016, when he learnt that witnesses against him will be given protection as to their identities being hidden.He shouted out all kinds of threats in court following this,refusing the idea of a secret trial.
Justice Nyako who was presiding over his case had revealed that names of all the prosecution witnesses, who are mostly security operatives, would not be disclosed in any record of the court proceedings.The witnesses would be allowed to testify against the defendants behind a screen that would be provided by the court.
Reacting to this,the Biafran leader screamed in court:“I won’t stand this travesty of justice. Buhari spoke in public, he accused me in public. I must also be allowed to stand my trial in public.
He also threatened that by the time he finished exposing Nigerian secrets,there will no longer be a place called Nigeria.He went on:This is nonsense. I will give testimony before this court. By the time I finish, there will be no Nigeria. This is no Sharia court. It is a court that operates under the common law. There will be no screening of witnesses, no fake identities or fake addresses. I cannot be tried in secret. No.I cannot be jailed in secret. They are mad. Why must I be tried in secrecy by a government that does not obey court orders. “They are killing my people in public. After killing my people, they want to try me in private? That person is mad. I won’t allow it.
I don't see how that can be possible though,but it would be interesting to see and hear what revelations he has to unleash on the world and people of Nigeria.
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The peoples leader was born Nwannekaenyi "Nnamdi" Kenny Okwu Kanu,sometime in the 1970s.His actual date of birth remains a mystery.
But his biography tells us he was born in 1967,making him 49 years old.
Before his arrest in Lagos on 14 October, 2015 by President Muhammadu Buhari-led government,he was an activist based in the United Kingdom.He has been held in prison since his arrest for treason.
This is not the first time we have heard the controversial leader voice out in such strong terms,remember he famously called Nigeria a zoo.
This Nnamdi Kanu Interview below will further take us more into his mind and thoughts...
This was conducted from the Kuje prisons while speaking to Ejike Ofoegbu from Family writers.
Commenting on why he decided to restore Biafra,he said-
How can I encourage my people to work towards the upbringing of Nigeria, when we don’t hear the same language, we don’t eat the same food, we don’t have the same culture, in fact if I come to their land to practice my culture.. I will be beheaded. Their women wear hi- jab, and Biafran women don’t, and on the point that our women don’t wear hi- jab, they will be seen as infidels, and on that note will be beheaded. We are 100 % Christians. These people are Muslims who see killing as a culture.. From where I came from, it hard for my people to kill a human being, because in my language human being is called Mmadu which means the beauty of life, now you see, it will never work, the only solution is Biafra.
Reacting to what he said so far,it sounds to me like this man is living in the past.Igbos are not the only ones in Nigeria.Hausas also are not the only ones.We have the Yorubas and we have the Niger Deltans as well as those from the middle belt.For him to say they were Hijabs in Nigeria is as if everybody apart from the Igbos were Hijabs.How comes the Yorubas for example are not saying we are going to leave Nigeria cos we don't wear Hijabs and they will kill us?
I am not against the Igbos trying to gain their freedom and leave if they want to,although i don't see that happening,but what i am against is the reason Kanu has given here for trying to leave.It is very weak and feeble.
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| With his other half. |
Speaking further he said he has no regrets and will happily spend a thousand years in prison for his cause:
"I said and will continue to say that, its either the flag of Biafra is raised up, or I am lowered in the grave. ProBiafra means supporters of Biafra, we are Biafrans, so I can’t be a supporter of Biafra. And also, we are not trying to secede from Nigeria. We are older than Nigeria. You can only talk about seceding if Biafrans are they ones that colonized Nigeria. But we are older than that contraption. So we can’t secede rather we just want to go back the way we were before the British came. It is Biafra or death, even Buhari knows that"
In another sit down with Sahara reporters,he revealed why he called Nigeria a zoo: ‘the zoo has come to an end, they keep killing our people.’ In the interview, I also said ‘the language the people hear in the zoo is violence. If they fail to give us Biafra, Somalia will be a child’s play’, yes, I stated that in the interview. Again, I was asked (and I said), ‘If they do not give us Biafra, there would be no one living in the zoo,’ yes, I said so.
He also commented on belonging to the Zionist movement saying:I do not belong to Biafra Zionist Movement. However, I stated my support for its action because it was a civil act designed to highlight societal injustice. The said act involved a group of civilians massing at the Government House at Enugu to hoist the Biafran flag.
His wife Uchechi Okwu Kanu also has a lot to say regarding her husband.But after listening to her,she is singing from the same hymn book as her husband.Complaining about different cultures and bad roads ,bad schools etc for Igbos.Heloooooo..This applies to all tribes and people in Nigeria.There are bad roads and bad schools as well as no jobs for all peoples of the country.It is not as if they have singled out the Igbos,while the rest of the country is thriving and in an amazing state.
This is what Uchechi had to say:
“It is the British who laid the foundation of Nigeria... And these people [ethnicities and tribes of Nigeria] are of different culture, different religion, different belief, different understanding of life".
“So we all are different in several ways, in every way. So, we are not actually meant to be together. You must have heard about the Biafran war. My mom was born then, a few years before the war. We sort of defended ourselves. We defended ourselves for over a long period of time,” she added.
“We don't have better schools, we don't have better roads, we don't have anything, not even jobs.
“So that is why what they are doing is to leave. So, I would say referendum is not a bad idea, it is not a bad option, but the people need to understand why we want Biafra.
“And that's what my husband is doing, sanitising his people, creating awareness. And you can see that a lot of people have woken up from their slumber. Most people who are sleeping have come to realise that this is really what it should be. I mean, if he is released and then he stops, it means he's been defeated or he doesn't know what he wanted in the first place.
“But if you know the reason why you are asking for something: you are asking for bread because you are hungry, and then you are thrown into jail. Then you released from the jail, but still didn't receive your bread, you are still hungry. So he would continue, he will, yes,”
Sounds really inept to me.I think this people just woke up one day and had this fantasy in their heads that they are going to leave and become independent.We have been down this road before.We all remember the terrible tragedy the country went through in the 60s when Odumegwu Ojukwu tried to lead his people out of Nigeria.And this was at a time when it could actually be argued that the Igbo had a strong cause.It sadly though led to millions of death and genocide.
It didn't happen then and it will not happen now.Many Igbos are not even in support of leaving Nigeria.
This man will be wiser to channel his energy to other ways in empowering his people that spewing hate or violence.Even if he wanted to lead his people out,i feel there are far better ways he can do this than his usual Nigeria is a zoo and Nigeria will burn rants.
That is going to achieve absolute.