The Igwe of Ezema Olo, His Royal Highness Ambassador Dr Lawerence Agubuzu has appealed to President Bola Tinubu to release Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), from prison and, if necessary, return him to Kenya or the United Kingdom.

Agubuzu made the plea on Tuesday during the 2026 National Traditional and Religious Leaders Summit on Health at the State House Conference Centre in Abuja. He expressed concern that Kanu’s continued imprisonment is aggravating unrest among youth in the South-East.

“Bring this man out. If we don’t want him in Nigeria, send him back to Kenya or London, where he came from. Please do something about this,” Agubuzu told the President, urging action to address the growing tension.

The monarch highlighted the apparent disparity between the treatment of Kanu and other activists, referencing plans by the Ooni of Ife to confer honours on South-West activist Sunday Igboho. Agubuzu noted the symbolic contrast, describing Kanu as Igboho’s South-East counterpart and emphasizing the pain felt in his community over Kanu’s detention in Sokoto.

He added, “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. We cannot make progress in this country if we don’t tell ourselves the truth.”

Although President Tinubu did not respond to the plea, he reportedly applauded Agubuzu, drawing attention to the sensitive and politically charged nature of the request amid ongoing discussions around national unity and youth agitation in the region.

The summit, themed “The Role of Traditional and Religious Leaders in Advancing the Nigeria Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative,” focused on increasing community engagement in health system reforms but unexpectedly became a platform for Agubuzu to address political and security concerns related to the South-East.