Free Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, by J. Ezike

The fact that the Yoruba Nation activist Sunday Igboho has returned to Nigeria after about three years of fleeing the country, ignites the question of why Mazi Nnamdi Kanu is still under detention. And the fact that both men pursued freedom and supported that mission through civil disobedience, presents the expectation of equal or similar treatment from Aso Rock.

The positioning of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu as a terrorist and Sunday Igboho as a saint, remains an enduring puzzle to me. There is nothing in the history of the latter to provoke such response largely because there was no violent demonstration or wild-eyed sermons in his activism.

True, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu had spoken on the Civil side of the Biafra agitation; and I like to describe him as the modern epitome of Malcolm X whose powerful sermons however provocative, did not hurt a fly. Mazi Nnamdi Kanu remains an admired speaker and leader of the Igbo Nation struggle for independence. He has become a part of the lineage of Men of the people – a lineage where power and service and the sacrificial spirit are joined with conformity and the potential for societal awakening.

Even the persecution of detention heightens his legend and makes him a saint in the eyes of millions. His trauma and pain in romance with greatness!

Mazi Nnamdi Kanu’s legacy is respectable. He doesn’t have to be murdered, assassinated or crucified to earn his place in the lineage of Men of the people. He has paid his price and his freedom should be the profit of his activism.

Whatever the reason, the Governors of Eastern Nigeria apparently are seeking Nnamdi Kanu’s continued detention. I sometimes imagine them in their group discussions, plotting on how to delay Mazi Nnamdi Kanu’s release. But there are millions of people like me who insist on his unconditional freedom. We insist that the verdict handed over to Sunday Igboho should be extended to Mazi Nnamdi Kanu whose detention is an injustice of the highest order.

The Governors of Eastern Nigeria believe in the myth that Mazi Nnamdi Kanu is a threat to their power. Thus, it is this game of power that inspires their collective silence and strong approval of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu’s predicament. It is almost as if they seek his legend to end in detention; away from his home and his family.

No matter what they do, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu’s legacy and character has been fully formed and now transcends any political conspiracy or betrayal. No generous Kiss of Judas or awkward mix of panegyric greeting and persecution can bend or neutralize his legacy and his sermons of freedom.

The truth is; Nnamdi Kanu’s legacy is the death of One Nigeria. It is more dangerous and promising than the silence of the Igbo Governors and their betrayal. Mazi Nnamdi Kanu has ascended into a symbol of freedom and a Biafran character, one typical of Men of the people, men who embraced the notion of service to humanity. And in the words of millions of people around the world, I’m saying: Free Mazi Nnamdi Kanu!

J. Ezike can be reached at this email: johnpaulezike1000@gmail.com