Abia State Governor, Dr Alex Otti has said the conviction of the leader of Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) on terrorism-related offence is not the end of the road for his matter.
In a statement personally signed by him, Governor Otti said although the judgment of November 20 against Kanu may have broken a lot of hearts of the people of Abia where Kanu comes from, it will not be the end of road for their son, Kanu.
Otti disclosed that he had before now engaged in discussions at the highest political level in the country for the release of Kanu.
Otti said now that the court has delivered its ruling, he would continue in the discussion which he believed will at the end present a positive result and the eventual release of Kanu.
The statement read in part, “Yesterday, (Thursday November, 20, 2025), a Federal High Court sitting in Abuja found our son and a citizen of the state, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu guilty of terrorism-related offences and subsequently sentenced him to life imprisonment.
“Without doubt, this development has broken a lot of our people and created an atmosphere of shock and sorrow in Abia and beyond.
“It would be recalled that in September 2017 when soldiers invaded the family home of Mazi Kanu, leading to destruction of property and loss of lives, I immediately and strongly condemned that avoidable act and appealed that dialogue should henceforth be explored as the best approach to resolving the IPOB issue.
“Eight days after that military onslaught at Afaraukwu Umuahia, specifically on September 25, 2017, I wrote a piece on my Thisday Column captioned “Operation Python Dance: Killing a Fly With a Sledge Hammer”. I condemned that invasion and the killings that followed once again, and offered extensively well-thought-out views and suggestions I felt could help de-escalate tension and unite the nation if the then federal government was willing to pay attention to those views.
“This is because I recognise that leadership requires emotional intelligence, restraint and tolerance rather than force and violence.
“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.
“While the trial that led to this conviction lasted, I personally engaged the authorities at the highest level, starting from December 22, 2023, on alternative resolution strategies. I must state that some agreements were made which were dependent on quick dispensation of the matter at the Federal High Court.
“Unfortunately, the matter dragged until this time. I am confident that judgment having been delivered, the alternative resolution will now kick in. It is instructive that this strategy was explained to Mazi Nnamdi Kanu when I visited him while he was in the DSS Custody earlier in the year.”
Otti said while Kanu was free to appeal his conviction, he (the Governor) has activated and will continue to work on the already agreed strategy until Kanu’s freedom is secured.
He promised to collaborate with other well-meaning Nigerians who genuinely want this problem resolved, to push for his freedom through the same diplomacy and dialogue with the present federal government, which he noted though did not create the problem, but can courageously and compassionately solve it and take the credit.
While appealing to the people of the state to remain calm and refrain from utterances and actions capable of stoking fear, violence and insecurity that may negatively affect the outcome of the engagements already started, the governor cautioned politicians who have positioned themselves to play petty and dirty politics with the travails of Kanu, to jettison the idea, and rather work with him to secure the IPOB leader’s freedom.
