By: Chioma Madonna Ndukwu
Nnamdi Kanu Must Face Consequences for Years of Bloodshed — Orji Uzor Kalu Defends Court Verdict
Senator Orji Uzor Kalu has expressed deep concern over the human and economic toll linked to the agitations associated with Nnamdi Kanu, saying the unrest claimed more than 30,000 lives and devastated countless businesses across the South-East.
Kalu, who represents Abia North in the Senate, spoke during an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today, monitored by Africaworldnews, where he reflected on the consequences of Kanu’s conviction and called for a calm, strategic approach to resolving the ongoing crisis.
According to him, public conversations have focused mostly on confrontations between agitators and security personnel, while ignoring the ordinary people who suffered the heaviest losses.
“This is not the time for noise or fights,” he said. “It is a time for sober reflection. Do you know that over 30,000 Igbos were killed? Many people who owned shops lost their entire businesses.”
Kalu recalled the heavy destruction that accompanied the unrest and mentioned traders he personally knew who were ruined.
One of them, he said, was a close family acquaintance whose rice business was destroyed, leaving her bankrupt and unable to repay a debt of over N4 million.
He stressed that emotional reactions would not solve the crisis and urged the region to embrace political dialogue.
“Let Igbos not be emotional. We need to sit down, go on our knees if we have to, and find a way for this man to be released. That is part of my responsibility, and I have been working on it quietly.”
Kalu recounted his longtime involvement in efforts to ease tensions around Kanu. He said he visited the IPOB leader several times, including after his return from Kenya, and held sensitive discussions in the presence of DSS officials.
He also noted that he played a role in securing Kanu’s bail in 2017, saying top government officials, including the then Attorney General and Mamman Daura, helped facilitate the release after he insisted on it before joining the APC in 2016.
Kalu touched on controversies involving his newspaper, The Sun, saying the Buhari administration once considered proscribing it over what was perceived as excessive coverage of Kanu. He maintained that he insisted on editorial independence and defended his staff
The senator backed Justice James Omotosho, who convicted Kanu last week, saying court decisions must be respected even when disputed.
He criticised Kanu’s behaviour in court, describing it as aggressive, and contrasted it with his own experience when he was sentenced to 12 years in prison.
“I never insulted the judge,” he said. “If you disagree with a judgment, you appeal. You don’t attack the judge. Justice Omotosho is simply doing his job.”
Nnamdi Kanu was found guilty on all seven terrorism-related counts filed against him.
Justice Omotosho handed him life imprisonment on five counts, while sentencing him to 20 years for membership of a proscribed group and five years for the unlawful importation of a radio transmitter.
The sentences have no option of a fine.
The court ruled that Kanu’s repeated threats, broadcasts and sit-at-home directives amounted to acts of terrorism under Nigerian law.
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