Releasing Nnamdi Kanu, creating Anioma state will end south-east unrest - Ned Nwoko

Ned Nwoko, senator representing Delta North, says peace willcontinue to elude the South-East until the federal government addresses theregion’s long-standing sense of marginalisation. Speaking on ‘Sunday Politics’, a programme on ChannelsTelevision, Nwoko said the unrest in the region stems from “perceived injusticeby successive governments”. He said the creation of Anioma state and the release ofNnamdi Kanu, leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), would go a longway in resolving the crisis. “The problem in the south-east has to do with perceivedinjustice by successive governments,” Nwoko said. “So what needs to be done, and it’s one of the reasons I amhere today, is the creation of a new state to make up the number to six, andthen the release of Nnamdi Kanu. “By the time you do these two things, I am almost certainthat peace will return to the south-east.” The south-east currently has five states, one less than the other geopolitical zones in the country. The region has faced repeated security challenges over theyears, largely linked to IPOB’s agitation for a separate Biafran nation. ‘KANU HELD UNJUSTLY’Kanu has been in the custody of the Department of StateServices (DSS) since his re-arrest in June 2021. He is facing terrorism-relatedcharges before the federal high court in Abuja. Nwoko said the IPOB leader’s continued detention is unjustand has become one of the main triggers of instability in the region. He added that a political resolution to the matter wouldhelp calm tensions and open the door for meaningful dialogue. ‘ANIOMA STATE BEST GIFT FOR IGBOS’Nwoko, who is leading the campaign for the creation ofAnioma state from the present Delta state, said the process is progressingpositively. He said the joint committee of the Senate and House ofRepresentatives on constitutional review has endorsed the idea of adding onemore state to the southeast. “Now, what has happened is that the national assembly hasput together a committee to decide which state to choose. There are about sevenstates from the southeast, and we are one of them,” he said. “At the public hearing in Enugu, we also presented our case,so I am almost certain that we will be chosen.” The senator said he is confident that President Bola Tinubuwill approve the new state if recommended by the committee, describing thepotential creation as “the best gift” the president could offer to the Igbopeople.

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