Kalu Says Over 30,000 Lives Lost in South East During IPOB Agitations.

Senator Orji Uzor Kalu has claimed that more than thirty thousand people were killed and thousands of businesses destroyed during years of unrest linked to the Indigenous People of Biafra and its leader, Nnamdi Kanu, who was recently convicted on terrorism charges. Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Sunday, the former Abia State governor urged politicians and the public to tone down confrontational rhetoric and focus on a political settlement for Kanu. He said he has been quietly lobbying the Federal Government on the matter. Kalu argued that public debate has centered too heavily on security operatives who were attacked, while overlooking the widespread casualties and economic losses suffered across the South East. “I would not like to talk about this issue. It is not the time for noise making or fighting. It is a time for sober reflection. We have to solve this problem holistically. Do you know that over thirty thousand Igbos were killed? People who have shops lost their businesses,” he said. He drew attention to the impact on traders and families, recalling personal accounts from affected communities. “My mother’s friend had a rice shop. The woman owed my mother about four point two million naira. But they ransacked the old woman’s shops and she went bankrupt. Nobody talks about it,” he added. Kalu maintained that political dialogue remains the only workable route to resolving Kanu’s case. “Let Igbos stop being emotional. I want us to settle down and find a way that a man can be released. It is part of my job to do it,” he said. The senator also revisited his role in securing Kanu’s bail in 2017 during the Buhari administration. “When I wanted to join the APC in 2016, the president, his Minister of Justice, and the DSS found a way to support me because I told them I would not join the party if Kanu was not released on bail to face trial. They wanted it to be in my house, I told them no. I said release him to Umuahia,” he explained. Kalu said he faced significant pressure in the process. “Alhaji Mamman Daura and Malami are alive. They all helped to make sure he was released on bail. I know the pressure that I faced before his release in April 2017.” He further recounted meetings with Kanu in 2016 and after the IPOB leader returned from Kenya. “I know my discussion with Nnamdi Kanu. The DSS was there. They heard my discussion with him,” he said. The senator also disclosed that the Buhari administration made repeated attempts to stop The Sun newspaper, which he owns, from publishing front page stories on Kanu. “On four occasions, President Buhari wanted to proscribe the newspaper because it was the only paper supporting Kanu. But I told the journalists to write what they see because it is a public trust,” he said. Kalu defended Justice James Omotosho, who convicted Kanu last week. He insisted that court judgments must be respected. “Nobody should question the decision of Justice Omotosho. If you are displeased, you go to the appellate court. It is not to start insulting the man.” He also criticized Kanu for what he described as unruly conduct during trial. “If you remember, I was given twelve years imprisonment, but I never insulted the judge. You cannot rant up in the competent jurisdiction,” he said. Kanu was convicted on all seven terrorism related charges, including those tied to the operations of Radio Biafra, sit at home directives and attacks in the South East. Justice Omotosho sentenced him to life imprisonment on counts one, two, four, five and six, and imposed additional terms of twenty years and five years on the remaining counts. The senator said the region must now focus on a realistic path to resolving the matter, warning that prolonged agitation would only deepen existing damage.

| 2025-11-24 10:03:25