Pro-Kanu Protest: Igbo Women Declare Support for Omoyele Sowore
The Igbo Women Assembly (IWA) has thrown its full weight behind the October 20 nationwide protest organized by rights activist Omoyele Sowore, demanding the unconditional release of detained Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) leader Nnamdi Kanu.
In a statement issued Saturday by its National President, Lolo Nneka Chimezie, the pan-Igbo women’s group praised Sowore and other prominent Nigerians, including former President Goodluck Jonathan and former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, for “lending their voices against injustice” and described their solidarity as “a step in the right direction.”
The IWA, which has consistently advocated for Kanu’s release, announced plans to mobilize Igbo women across the country to participate in the upcoming peaceful demonstration. The group called on all Nigerians, regardless of ethnicity, religion, or political affiliation, to join the protest, framing Kanu’s prolonged detention as a national issue of justice and rule of law.
“Mazi Nnamdi Kanu is a freedom fighter and justice advocate who is being persecuted simply for speaking out against the oppression of his people and exposing systemic injustices,” the statement read. “His continued incarceration is not just an Igbo matter; it is an injustice that every Nigerian should resist.”
The group drew a pointed comparison between Kanu’s case and the federal government’s engagement with armed criminal groups. “If the authorities can negotiate with bandits who have killed security personnel and innocent citizens, then releasing Kanu should not be controversial,” the IWA asserted.
The organization also commended the sustained efforts of several Igbo leaders, both living and deceased, for their advocacy on Kanu’s behalf, singling out Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, Rep. Obi Aguocha, and former Anambra Governor Peter Obi. It further acknowledged the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA) and non-Igbo citizens from diverse backgrounds who have spoken out against what it described as Kanu’s political persecution.
Reiterating its appeal to President Bola Tinubu, the IWA urged the administration to heed the growing chorus of voices calling for Kanu’s immediate and unconditional release. “Injustice to one is injustice to all,” the group emphasized. “We must unite against the erosion of court orders, the suppression of free speech, and the weaponization of the justice system.”
The IWA warned against allowing political elites to exploit ethnic, religious, or partisan divisions to distract citizens from shared democratic concerns. “While they collaborate behind closed doors, ordinary Nigerians are pitted against each other,” the statement noted. “Kanu’s predictions about national decline have come to pass; that is why the system is determined to silence him.”
The group concluded by calling on citizens to stand together in defense of constitutional rights and judicial integrity, framing the October 20 protest not as a regional cause, but as a collective stand for justice in Nigeria.