By Peter Dansu
A coalition of pan-Igbo self determination groups have urged Igbo traditional rulers and political leaders to abandon complicity and speak out with courage against the marginalization and oppression of Igbos in the country.
In a joint statement on Friday, the self determination groups - American Veterans of Igbo Descent, AVID, Ambassadors for Self-Determination, and Rising Sun Foundation — declared that only courage, and not cowardice, can save Igboland.
The statement was in reaction to the action of an Enugu State traditional ruler who openly asked President Bola Tinubu to immediately release leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, Nnamdi Kanu or return him to Kenya, where he was abducted before his extraction to Nigeria in 2021.
The traditional ruler, Dr Lawrence Agubuzu, the Eze Ogbunechendo of Ezema Olo Kingdom in Enugu State,
made the demand during the 2026 National Traditional and Religious Leaders Summit on Health held at the State House Conference Centre, Abuja, on February 17.
"Bring this man (Nnamdi Kanu) out. If we don’t want him in Nigeria, return him to Kenya or London where they took him from.
“Please do something about this. We cannot make progress in this country if we don’t tell ourselves the truth," the monarch told the President.
In the statement jointly signed by Dr. Sylvester Onyia, AVID, Chief Evans Nwankwo, Ambassadors for Self-Determination, and Dr. Maxwell Dede, Rising Sun Foundation, the activists commended the monarch, Agubuzu, urging all traditional rulers in Igboland to emulate him.
The statement read, "The American Veterans of Igbo Descent (AVID), Ambassadors for Self-Determination, and Rising Sun Foundation—wish to send a clarion call to the conscience of Igboland.
"We unequivocally commend His Royal Majesty Eze Agubuzu of Enugu for his unflinching courage in telling President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to his face what other Igbo traditional rulers have been too weak, too compromised, or too cowardly to say: Release Onyendu Mazi Nnamdi Kanu immediately, or return him to Kenya.
"Let it be known that HRM Eze Lawrence Agubuzu and HRM Eze Chukwuemeka Eri are currently the only monarchs who have publicly understood the depth of the pain, injustice, and anguish inflicted upon our people by the illegal detention of Onyendu Mazi Nnamdi Kanu. While Fulani herder murderers are pampered, Yoruba agitators walk free, and the Nigerian state continues to show contempt for Igbo humanity, the majority of Igbo kings and chiefs—including the Obi of Onitsha and Eze Cletus Ilomuanya—remain silent. Their silence is complicity; their inaction is betrayal."
The activists declared that the crowns and titles of the traditional rulers are worthless if they cannot speak up and protect their subjects.
"We ask plainly: What are the titles and crowns of these so-called leaders worth if they cannot stand for the lives, liberty, and dignity of their own people? AlaIgbo cannot survive leaders who place personal comfort above collective justice.
"We therefore call on all Igbo traditional rulers to abandon cowardice, abandon complicity, and speak with one voice. The time for half-measures, whispers, and veiled statements is over. Step up boldly for Onyendu Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, or step aside and make room for leaders who will. History will not forgive those who chose silence while our people suffered injustice.
"The courage of HRM Eze Agubuzu and HRM Eze Chukwuemeka Eri demonstrates that moral authority, not fear of Abuja, is what preserves a people’s dignity. Let all Igbo leaders take note: the era of self-serving silence is over. AlaIgbo demands justice, leadership, and courage—now," the statement added.
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