Traditional Ruler Urges Tinubu to Free Nnamdi Kanu or Send Him Back to Kenya

A traditional ruler from the South-east region of Nigeria has urged President Bola Tinubu to either release Nnamdi Kanu from incarceration or deport him back to Kenya, the country where he was forcibly taken from.

Lawrence Agubuzu, who is the traditional leader of the Ezema Olo Community, made this statement during the 2026 National Traditional and Religious Leaders Summit on Health, which took place at the State House Conference Centre in Abuja.

Ezema Olo is located in the Ezeagu Local Government Area of Enugu State in Nigeria's South-east.

Kanu, who leads the proscribed group, the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), received a life sentence for terrorism by a federal court in Abuja in November 2025.

During the summit, Mr. Agubuzu addressed the president directly, pushing for Kanu's release to promote peace in the South-east region. He urged Tinubu to take action, saying, "The ball stops in your court. Bring this man out. If we don’t want him in Nigeria, return him to Kenya or London, where they took him from."

He also criticized the Ooni of Ife, Adeyeye Ogunwusi, for what he perceived as a double standard, as the Ooni appeared to honor Sunday Igboho, a Yoruba Nation agitator, while Kanu remains imprisoned.

Agubuzu expressed his discontent that traditional rulers in the South-east are now perceived as betraying the youth, who feel the leaders are silent on Kanu's situation. He noted, "You see, some of us here are being asked to go and work, but the young people in the South-east are so agitated they can even beat us. They see us as sellouts... Please do something about this. We cannot make progress in this country if we don’t tell ourselves the truth. There’s no way."

Kanu’s trial stretched over ten years, starting from his first arrest in 2015 until his conviction in November 2025, where he was found guilty on multiple charges of terrorism.

The judge presiding over the case, James Omotosho, imposed the life sentence alongside restrictions on Kanu's access to communications. Since his conviction, numerous prominent Igbo figures have called for his release through political avenues. Notable among them is Governor Alex Otti of Abia State, who visited Kanu in Sokoto prison and indicated plans to secure his release soon after the sentencing.