The leadership of the Yoruba socio-cultural organisation, Afenifere, has called on President Bola Tinubu to immediately release the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu.

In a communiqué issued on Tuesday, Afenifere stated that Kanu’s right to a fair trial could no longer be guaranteed due to the conflicting legal proceedings in various courts. The statement followed the group’s general meeting, which was presided over by its deputy leader, Oba Oladipo Olaitan, and held at the hometown of its leader, Ayo Adebanjo, in Isanya-Ogbo.

The communiqué, signed by Olaitan and Afenifere’s National Publicity Secretary, Justice Faloye, argued that Kanu’s continued detention was unjustifiable and called for his release in the interest of justice and national reconciliation.

Describing Kanu as a political detainee, the group asserted that his prolonged incarceration without trial was unwarranted.

“Afenifere notes that given the circumstances surrounding his abduction in 2021, his subsequent repatriation to Nigeria, and the legal inconsistencies that have followed, Nnamdi Kanu is undeniably a political detainee,” the communiqué read.

“There is no justifiable reason to continue holding him without trial,” it added.

Additionally, Afenifere announced the appointment of lawyer Dele Farotimi as the organisation’s National Organising Secretary.

“The General Meeting considered and approved the appointment of Barrister Dele Farotimi as the National Organising Secretary of Afenifere,” the statement confirmed.

The group also reiterated its long-standing call for the establishment of state police, arguing that Nigeria’s vast population and federal structure cannot be effectively secured by a single-command, unitary police force.

“Afenifere reiterates its stance that Nigeria, given its size, population, and federal system, cannot be effectively policed under a unitary structure. The country must undergo restructuring to allow for the constitutional institutionalisation of state police,” the communiqué stated.

“This step will prevent situations such as the one in Oyo State, where the governor, despite being the Chief Security Officer, was left helpless in the face of bandit infiltration,” it added.