Abia State Governor Alex Otti has formally reacted to the life imprisonment sentence handed down to the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, by Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court, Abuja, on November 20. The governor said he had already activated a strategy aimed at securing Kanu’s eventual freedom, a plan he noted was initiated while Kanu’s trial was ongoing.
In a statement issued on Saturday, Governor Otti explained that he had communicated agreements reached with “the highest authorities” during his visit to Kanu at the Department of State Services custody in Abuja. He stressed that political and diplomatic options would be pursued as a long-term solution.
“While Mazi Nnamdi Kanu is free to appeal his conviction, I’m happy to inform you that I have activated and will continue to work on the already agreed strategy until his freedom is secured,” he said.
Otti reiterated his long-held view that the IPOB issue was mishandled at the early stages, leading to its escalation. He recalled that he had condemned the 2017 invasion of Kanu’s family home in Afaraukwu, Umuahia, during the military’s Operation Python Dance, describing it as avoidable and excessive. He noted that his Thisday column of September 25, 2017, titled “Operation Python Dance: Killing a Fly with a Sledgehammer,” offered recommendations that could have de-escalated tensions.
“I still strongly believe that the poor management of the IPOB issue at the incubation stage created the problem we have today, hence we cannot allow it to linger and create a bigger monstrous situation for us,” he said.
The governor said that beginning in December 2023, he engaged federal authorities at the highest level on an alternative resolution strategy. According to him, progress was slowed by the duration of Kanu’s trial, but with judgment now delivered, the agreed political approach can proceed.
He appealed to residents of Abia and the wider South East to remain calm, avoid inflammatory comments, and allow diplomatic engagements to run their course. Otti said he remains confident that a solution is possible given assurances he has received from the federal government.
“I have no doubt that with the assurances I have received from the federal government, a resolution is in sight and Mazi Kanu will receive his freedom,” he said.
Otti cautioned politicians against exploiting Kanu’s situation for “petty and dirty politics,” urging them instead to support efforts aimed at securing his release.
The governor reaffirmed his readiness to work with well-meaning Nigerians committed to peace and to engage the federal government through diplomacy and dialogue. He stressed that leadership requires emotional intelligence, restraint, and tolerance rather than force.
“Finally, I want to assure our people of my unwavering resolve and commitment to genuinely solving this problem with wisdom, high-level dialogue and diplomacy, with a view to ensuring that genuine peace returns to the South East,” he added.
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