Olisa Metuh who is the former National Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has alleged that the continued detention of the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra leader, Nnamdi Kanu, was a testament to the unfair treatment being meted out to the South-East people in the country.
This came even as he also called for fervent prayers by every well-meaning Igbo and Nigerians for God’s intervention and to grant Kanu freedom through the law court.
In a statement on Sunday which was obtained by Africa Today News, New York, Metuh called for the unconditional release of Kanu, stressing that such will restore peace and normalcy to the South-East region with a multiplier positive effect on the entire country.
Read Also: PDP: Southerner Must Replace Ayu Before Sept 28 – Bode
The former PDP spokesperson also decried the “maltreatment and systemic extortion” of South-Easterners by unscrupulous operatives in security agencies and government establishments.
‘In the light of the deplorable security situation in the South-East, there is a need for unconditional freedom for Nnamdi Kanu to restore peace and normalcy to the region. Peace in the southeast will have a multiplier effect on the entire country.
‘The truth is that many people are not happy with the way and manner Mazi Nnamdi Kanu was abducted in a foreign country and brought to Nigeria in chains to face all kinds of charges. Nnamdi Kanu is viewed by many as suffering for highlighting the plight of the Igbos in present Nigeria,’ he said.
Lamenting the plight of South Easterners in Nigeria, Metuh said, “It is evident that Igbos still suffer stigmatisation and unfair treatment in the hands of unscrupulous operatives in security agencies and the Nigerian bureaucracy.
‘South East businessmen suffer from systemic extortion in the hands of corrupt Nigerian supervisory officials and such build up resentment by the people in the South East. They pay to survive out of intimidation and harrasment because they are very much aware of their unfair treatment by very hostile officials in government agencies.
‘Freedom for Nnamdi Kanu will go a long way to calm frayed nerves and reassure the South East that this country has accommodation for them. Let there be justice, equity and fairness in our country.’
Africa Today News, New York reports that many Nigerians share the sentiment that the Igbo people are being unfairly treated in the country.