Ohanaeze Ndigbo, the apex Igbo sociocultural group, has demanded that the Federal Government free Nnamdi Kanu, the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, saying that his prolonged imprisonment is unfair and unacceptable.
At the conclusion of the two-day Ohanaeze Ndigbo Leadership Retreat, which took place from June 4–5, 2025, at the Landmark – Nike Lake Hotel, Enugu, this resolution was included in a communiqué.
The communique was jointly signed by the President General, Senator Azuta Mbata, his deputy and Chairman, Planning Committee, Prince Okey Nwadinobi, Secretary General, Emeka Sibeudu, and National Publicity Secretary, Dr. Ezechi Chukwu, on Tuesday.
The retreat, themed “Rebuilding Our Foundation,” brought together prominent Igbo leaders and stakeholders from diverse sectors, including academia, religious and traditional institutions, organised private sector, town unions, youth and women groups, and the diaspora.
The gathering, chaired by the Obi of Onitsha, His Royal Majesty, Igwe Nnaemeka Achebe, and declared open by the Governor, Dr. Peter Mbah of Enugu State, represented by his deputy, Barr. Ifeanyi Ossai.
In one of its resolutions, the retreat “unequivocally condemned in strong terms, the continuous detention of Nnamdi Kanu, whom before now has been acquitted by a court of competent jurisdiction.” The communique urged the federal government to “find an alternative solution to his matter and release him.”
The retreat emphasised unity, economic revitalisation through investments in Igbo land, and cultural rebirth rooted in traditional values such as “Igwebuike (strength in unity), Onye aghala nwanne ya (leave no one behind), and Ako bu ije (wisdom is key to progress).”
Also, participants resolved to support the Professorial Endowment Chair in seven universities across the Ohanaeze states, a project aimed at promoting research in Igbo language, culture, and history.
Ohanaeze also said that it would eventually submit its programmes and a proposed constitution to Imeobi, the organization’s top decision-making body.
