The Leader of INRI Evangelical Spiritual Church, Primate Elijah Ayodele, has urged the Federal Government to release the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu, warning that continued tension over the matter could trigger wider public unrest across the country.
The Punch reported that Ayodele made the appeal while addressing members of his congregation in a video that surfaced online on Saturday, where he spoke on issues surrounding national unity, security, and public dissatisfaction with the current administration.
The outspoken cleric argued that the Federal Government should adopt fairness in handling sensitive national issues, insisting that if authorities decide to continue detaining Kanu, the same measure should also apply to controversial Islamic cleric, Sheikh Ahmad Gumi.
“Try and release Nnamdi Kanu,” he said.
Primate Ayodele maintained that applying different standards to both figures could fuel further criticism and raise doubts about the government’s sincerity in addressing security and political concerns across the country.
The cleric also cautioned that the current wave of hardship and growing frustration among citizens could escalate into larger demonstrations if urgent steps were not taken by the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
“Protest will seize this Tinubu government,” he added.
Nnamdi Kanu, who has been in the custody of the Department of State Services, continues to face trial over charges bordering on terrorism and secessionist activities, a case that has remained a subject of political and legal debate within Nigeria.
