Nnamdi Kanu’s agitation led to killings of over 30,000 people — Orji Kalu

Former Abia State Governor and Senate Majority Whip, Orji Uzor Kalu, has attributed the killing of more than 30,000 people in the South-East to the secessionist agitation linked to the convicted leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, stating that the crisis also crippled businesses across the region.

Kalu, who represents Abia North, made the claim on Sunday while appearing as a guest on Channels Television’s Politics Today, where he discussed the extensive human and economic impact of the agitation.

Reacting to Kanu’s recent conviction on terrorism charges, Kalu urged political actors and supporters to halt what he called “noise-making” and focus on achieving a political resolution. 

He said public debates had centred too much on clashes with security operatives while overlooking the large-scale casualties and business losses experienced by ordinary people.

He said, “I wouldn’t like to talk about this issue. It’s not the time for noise-making or fighting. It’s a time for sober reflection. We have to solve this problem holistically. Do you know that over 30,000 Igbos were killed? People who have shops lost their businesses.

“I used to sell my own manufactured products in Aba. I know what the numbers were. But people are just talking about soldiers killed and not the rest of them. The problem of Nnamdi Kanu is what we need to solve through political process.

“Just as the theory Bianca Ojukwu and Mascot Kalu propounded, they (people) should stop the noise and focus on the settlement with the federal government. Let me tell you. I have been working with the Federal Government on how to solve this issue.”

Kalu described the destruction as both widespread and deeply personal, recalling traders who lost their livelihoods, including his late mother’s friend, whose rice business was wiped out during the unrest.

“My mother’s friend had a rice shop. The woman who owed my mother about N4.2m. But they ransacked the old woman’s shops and she went bankrupt. Nobody talks about it,” he lamented.

He said he has been quietly working with the Federal Government toward a political settlement for Kanu, stressing that the matter requires strategic engagement rather than heightened emotions.

“Let Igbos stop being emotional. I want us to settle down, go on our knees, and find a way that a man can be released. It’s part of my job to do it.

“Let me take you to memory lane, when I wanted to join the APC in 2016, Late President Buhari, with his minister of justice, and the DSS found a way to support me because I told them I wouldn’t join the party if Kanu was not released on bail to face trial. (Of course) If you order people to kill others, you must face trial. But I wanted it to be in his house.

“But they wanted it to be in my house, I told them no because where I live is sensitive. So, I said release him to Umuahia. Alhaji Mamman Daura and Malami are alive. They all helped to make sure that he was released on bail. I know the pressure that I faced before his release in April 2017,” he noted.

Kalu said he felt betrayed by the chain of events that followed the agitation, which he said nearly brought the region to its knees. 

He also recalled persuading the Buhari administration to grant Kanu bail in 2017 and resisting pressure to stop The Sun newspaper, which he owns, from reporting on Kanu.

He said, “I know my discussion with Nnamdi Kanu. I was the first to see him in 2016 and the first to meet him when he came from Kenya. I know my discussion with him. The DSS was there. They heard my discussion with him.

“Remember, I own the Sun Newspaper. On four occasions, President Buhari wanted to proscribe the newspaper because it was the only paper supporting Kanu. It’s not owned by Igbos. But I told the journalists who work in the Sun Newspaper to write what they see because it is a public trust.”

Kalu also defended Justice James Omotosho, who convicted Kanu earlier in the week, insisting that court judgments must be respected even when contested.

“Nobody should question the decision of Justice Omotosho. If you are displeased, you go to the appellate court. It’s not to start insulting the man.”

He criticised Kanu for what he called unruly behaviour during his trial, contrasting it with how he handled his own conviction.

“If you remember, I was given 12 years (imprisonment), but I never insulted the judge. The other day, I saw the judge at the National Assembly when he came to be confirmed as a Supreme Court Justice. I embraced him and gave him all court seats.

“We must condemn certain behaviours. You cannot rant up in the competent jurisdiction. I take exception to it. People might say it is good. Justice Omotosho is just a messenger of the court. It is his job. If you are displeased, you go to the appellate court. It’s not to start insulting the man.”

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