When Saturday Sun visited the palace of the
Egwukwu 11 of Afaraukwu Ibeku, HRM (Eze) Israel Okwu Kanu, father of the leader
of Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB),
Nnamdi Kanu on Tuesday, there was
nothing substantial in term of blissful atmosphere compared to the ecstasy
elsewhere since the release of the Radio Biafra director. This is not to say
that the immediate family members of the number one IPOB member are not happy
over the release of their cherished son, no, the fact remains they are
rejoicing, but with utmost modicum of calmness, perhaps not oblivious of the
long way to the “real freedom” –actualization of Biafra.
In this interview with OKEY SAMPSON, Eze Kanu
expressed joy that his son has breathed fresh air at last. While thanking those
who made it possible and The Sun Newspapers for the wide publicity it has given
the matter so far, he expressed disappointment over the nonchalant attitude of
South East governors over his son’s plight.
The royal father also spoke of his desire to
see the Federal Government drop all the charges against his son and other
issues as they concern Biafra agitation.
You would have heard about the release of your son,
Nnamdi Kanu from detention, how do you feel about that?
I didn’t know what to say when I heard that my
son had been released, what immediately came to my mind was that God had done
it the way He wished. In Igbo, it is said that ‘he who does not carry any mud
pot on his head will not break anything.’ My heart was filled with great joy
when the news of his release came to me and I gave and still gives God the
glory. I thank everybody including The Sun Newspapers, who, in one way or the
other contributed to Nnamdi’s release; God will pay everyone back abundantly.
Since Nnamdi’s release, have you been able to see
him one on one?
No, we have not been able to see face to face,
but he has been calling me on phone steadily. Even when he was in detention, he
was calling on phone to tell me how I was too dear to him; and that I should
not worry myself as nothing would happen to him and such words from him were
like tonic to me.
What exactly did he tell you the first time he
called after his release?
He told me mostly what he used to tell me when
he was still in detention, after asking about how we were at home, he told me
he was out of detention and that he would not like me to be thinking much about
him, so that it would not affect my health, that God would surely do what He
has in mind about him (Nnamdi). Remember I was flown to Germany last year when
my health went down and he said he would not like me to suffer the same thing
again. He told me that in no distant time, he would visit home to see me, his
mother and siblings. He equally told me that there were certain things people
were saying about him that were not true, but that he would not say them now,
but that later he will tell me. That made me to remember what (President
Muhammadu) Buhari said, that he would not be alive to see Biafra come to be and
also free my son. I never understood what he meant by that, but at the same
time, I pray that God heals him so that he will be able to discuss about
Biafra’s freedom.
Your son having spent over one year in detention
before his release, would you advise him to back down on the Biafra
struggle?
I have been to London and to Germany also. In
these countries, what I found out was that immediately your child is up to 18
years, he was man enough to stay on his own and decide for himself what he
wanted. So, what I’m trying to say is that since Nnamdi, my son is above 18
years, it is left for him to decide what to do and I always support whatever
decision he takes. It is natural; it is Igbo custom for a child to listen to
the advice of his parents. But to tell you one thing, since Nnamdi was born, he
has never for once disobeyed me, but for this issue of Biafra, I am solidly
behind him till I die. I am urging him to go ahead with what he is doing, so
far he has the support of his people and God will be with him, because he has
told me on several occasions that even if he dies in the Biafran cause he will
be happy.
Are you optimistic your son will actualize Biafra
and why that optimism?
Why I am so optimistic that Biafra will be
actualised under my son’s leadership is that what he is doing, many people are
supporting him, not only here in Igbo land, but outside this country. For
instance, when I went to Germany and saw the crowd that came in support of
Nnamdi’s cause, I became afraid. I started wondering why the agitation was so
hot in a place like Germany, but when you come to this part of the world, it
will appear as if nothing was happening. German reporters and photojournalists
queued up to take photographs of his wife and I and were interviewing us and
the police had to be invited before we were given breathing space.
Could you tell us if Nnamdi’s wife had visited
since his release to enable him see his son for the first time since the baby
was born while he was in detention?
Well, I’m not with Nnamdi yet, but if the
information I received is anything to go by, she has not visited, but I know it
is not yet late, we are still expecting her to come any moment.
Some people fought for the release of your son from
detention, what do you have to say to such people?
I pray God to bless those who in one way or
the other contributed to the release of my son, Nnamdi. Having said that, I
must also say that I am not happy the way governors from South East kept quiet
over my son’s case since. Could it be they were afraid, afraid of what and who?
This type of attitude is condemnable, I am not happy about that. I had hoped
that they would have been together and made move for his release, but they
stayed aloof. It was rather the Ekiti State governor, Ayodele Fayose and the
former Minister of Aviation, Chief Femi Fani-Kayode who showed interest, God
will bless them. I will not in anyway forget the former governor of Abia State,
Dr. Orji Uzor Kalu, who when other Igbo leaders were afraid to talk about
Nnmadi’s problem, visited my son in prison and also came to my palace here in
Umuahia to see me, God will also bless him.
You have been calling for your son’s unconditional
release, but the court gave him stringent bail conditions. What’s your reaction
to this?
I have not seen this type of thing before,
where a court will tell someone in Nigeria to bring a foreigner to take him on
bail. The court made things difficult for my son, but we thank God for making
way where there was no way. How would a court say Nnamdi will not be found in a
gathering of 10 people ,which means he will not come home to see us, because I
have more than 10 children? Does it mean that the day he will visit us, I will
have to send some of my children away, so that he will not be found in the
midst of 10 persons? This is funny enough; nobody has seen this type of bail
condition before.
One of the conditions given by the court for
Nnamdi’s release was that he should present a serving Senator as surety. Are
you surprised it was the Senator from Abia South rather than that of Abia
Central where you are from, that stood for him?
Chief T.A Orji, our senator is my friend, when
he was campaigning for governorship, I personally supported him. But when the
court pronounced that a senator should stand for Nnamdi as a surety, I thought
he could have without waiting for anybody indicated interest to take my son on
bail, but he did not do that. This has made me to start wondering if he is sick
or there was something else that was wrong. This will not cause any friction
between us, but I wouldn’t know who, he was afraid of that made him not to come
out and stand for Nnamdi.
There are three other persons being tried
alongside Nnamdi that were not granted bail, what’s your take on this?
Just like my son, Nnamdi, I am in total
support that those boys should be released. Somebody came here to tell me that
Nnamdi said he would not come out except those other persons were released; I
love that, those other people should also be released no mater what name they
will attach to the release.
Would you have preferred that the charges against
your son were rather withdrawn?
Why not, did they get any gun or knife from
Nnamdi? It was his mouth he used in talking and since we have freedom of speech
in the country, I don’t think he has committed any crime that will warrant him
being tried in court. It was because they have nothing substantial against him
that they are trying to bring masked men as witnesses against him, God forbid.
I am appealing to the Federal Government to set Nnamdi free by withdrawing all
the charges, because he has not come to kill anybody.
In view of Buhari’s disposition to Nnamdi’s freedom
in the past, how will you regard the President now that your son is out?
I wouldn’t say enemy of the family, but that
of the Igbo race because I have never seen this type of hatred of a people
before. Court will rule to set a person free and the president who is supposed
to be the father of all will say no, making a mockery of the judiciary in the
process.
You are entertaining fears that your son might be
detained again?
I am not entertaining any such fear, because
there is God and He will do as He has done before. If they want to detain him
again, there will be no problem, we all will live to see where it will end.
Do you have any advice for Nnamdi?
Yes, my advice to my son is that he should
take things easy; he should be careful on the things he will say. I am saying
this, because there are people who are experts in distorting facts and what
someone says, for selfish reasons. One will say something and they will turn it
to another thing to curry favour.
Any advice for the Federal Government too?
I am appealing to them fervently that they
should leave my son alone since he is not fighting anybody with machete or gun.
He should not be made to further suffer for mere speaking out, this is not the
reason for which he will be killed and I believe by God’s grace the Federal
Government will leave him.
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