Israel Adeleke
Speaker of House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, on Thursday, rejected an amendment motion seeking the release of the leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu.
The recommendation to defer the motion was made by Rep. Ginger Onwusibe (LP-Abia) following a motion by Rep. Eze Nwachukwu Eze (PDP-Ebonyi) during the plenary session in Abuja.
Rep. Eze’s motion was titled “Need to Forestall Further Killings in Ebonyi Local Government Area and the Rising Insecurity in Ebonyi/Ohaukwu Federal Constituency, Ebonyi State.”
However, Rep. Onwusibe, representing Isiala Ngwa North of Abia State, requested that the motion be amended to include the release of Kanu in order to address the disturbing cases of killings in the southeastern part of the country.
It would be recalled that Nnamdi Kanu has been in the custody of the Department of State Security (DSS) despite a court ruling ordering his release.
Eze, In his motion, urged the federal government led by President Bola Tinubu to consult with political, traditional, and religious leaders in Ebonyi State and the South East to find a lasting solution to the insecurity in the region.
He also called on the Acting Inspector General of Police to deploy Armoured Personnel Carriers to strategic points in Ebonyi State to prevent future attacks.
Additionally, Rep. Eze urged the Nigeria Police Force and other security agencies to ensure effective policing of Ebonyi/Ohaukwu Federal Constituency and other states in the South East and the entire country.
He recommended training the vigilante groups for intelligence gathering and community policing, as well as allocating budgetary provisions for the Nigeria Police Force to acquire more combat helicopters for proper surveillance of the South East and Nigeria as a whole.
However, the Speaker rejected the amendment to include the release of Nnamdi Kanu in the motion, stating that it was not relevant to the topic of Ebonyi killings.
Rep. Onwusibe argued that the insecurity in the region was a result of Kanu’s prolonged detention and urged the government to consider his release as a means to restore peace.
The Deputy Leader of the House of Rep., Ibrahim Halims, disagreed with the amendment, emphasizing that, matters like this should be determined by the court rather than parliamentary decision.
The Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu, In his contribution, explained that Onwusibe’s motion aimed to find a diplomatic or political solution to the Kanu issue.
He suggested that the prayer of the amendment should urge the President to explore alternative approaches for a lasting resolution.
The Speaker, Rep. Abbas, decided to defer ruling on the motion until the next week after consulting with both the minority and majority leaders to clarify the legal position on the matter.
“I will defer ruling on this at this particular time and I will invite both the minority and majority leaders to consult and see what the point of the law says before I make my own position known,” said Abbas.
While other motions and amendments were ruled upon, the decision regarding the release of Nnamdi Kanu was postponed for further consideration.
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