S’East Monarch Urges Tinubu to Free or Return Nnamdi Kanu

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu was on Tuesday urged by a South-East traditional ruler to free Nnamdi Kanu or send him back to Kenya where he was arrested.

The appeal was made in Abuja during the 2026 National Traditional and Religious Leaders Summit on Health held at the State House Conference Centre.

The monarch, Dr Lawrence Agubuzu, who is the Eze Ogbunechendo of Ezema Olo Kingdom in Enugu State, made the call during his goodwill message at the summit.

He told the President that keeping Kanu in prison was increasing anger among young people in the South-East. He said many youths in the region are restless and that traditional rulers are facing pressure from them over the matter.

Agubuzu said if the Federal Government no longer wanted Kanu in Nigeria, he should be returned to the country from which he was brought back.

He warned that the continued detention of the IPOB leader was making it difficult for leaders in the region to gain the trust of their people.

According to him, some youths now see their traditional rulers as people who travel to Abuja and remain silent on issues affecting the region.

The event was mainly organised to discuss the role of traditional and religious leaders in improving healthcare across the country. It also included the signing of a pact by the leaders to support better health services in their communities.

However, the discussion shifted briefly when the Enugu monarch raised the issue of Kanu.

He also referred to comments made earlier in the day about national unity and questioned how such unity could be achieved while the Kanu issue remained unresolved.

Kanu, a British-Nigerian and founder of the Indigenous People of Biafra, has faced legal battles for years over his separatist activities.

He was first arrested in 2015 in Lagos and later granted bail in 2017 on health grounds. After a military operation at his home in Abia State that same year, he left the country. The government later declared IPOB a terrorist group.

In 2021, the Federal Government announced that Kanu had been brought back to Nigeria from Kenya. His lawyers described the move as an unlawful rendition.

In 2022, the Court of Appeal ordered his release, but the Supreme Court later set aside that decision and directed that his trial should continue.

In November 2025, a Federal High Court in Abuja found him guilty on several terrorism-related charges and sentenced him to life imprisonment along with other prison terms. He was later moved to the Sokoto Correctional Centre.

Other speakers at the health summit included the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate, as well as representatives of the World Health Organisation and the World Bank.

The First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, also addressed participants and spoke about plans to launch a National Community Food Bank Programme in April.

President Tinubu later spoke at the afternoon session of the summit, which also featured the launch of a new group of National Health Fellows and agreements aimed at improving community participation and accountability in the health sector.