Don’t Politicise Our Father’s Disappearance — Kanu’s Family Warns Gov. Ikpeazu

The family of the Eze of Afaraukwu Autonomous Community in Abia State, Israel Kanu, has warned Governor Okezie Ikpeazu not to politicise the disappearance of the traditional ruler.

The monarch is the father of the leader of proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and Director of Radio Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu.

He is said to have disappeared following the alleged invasion of his home by soldiers and his whereabouts have been unknown.

At a meeting with some members of Eze Kanu’s community at the Government House in Umuahia, the state capital, Ikpeazu reportedly promised them that the monarch would soon return home.

He said Southeast governors were working hard to ensure that the traditional ruler is reunited with his family before the New Year.

It was learnt that the governor’s promise did not go down well with the Kanus and supporters of the IPOB leader.

They reportedly cautioned the governor against playing politics with their father’s whereabouts.

Addressing reporters, Kanu family’s spokesman, Prince Emmanuel Kanu, urged Ikpeazu to “look for better ways to entertain his guests and not use Kanu as a campaign slogan for his re-election bid and to score cheap political points”.

Emmanuel also urged the governor to be mindful of his utterances on the whereabouts of the monarch and other members of his still missing since the military invaded the community.

He wondered why “the governor didn’t think it was wise to visit the family in the last one year that our father, mother and brother disappeared suddenly. And now, he is making them his campaign tools”.

Emmanuel added: “It is shocking; in fact, let me make this clear that Ikpeazu should leave the Kanu family out of his second term project. That’s as simple as that. I consider the governor’s comment as an afterthought. No amount of hypocrisy would exonerate Ikpeazu and his Southeast counterparts from culpability, to be honest with you, on the invitation of the military for the Python Dance.

“The governor was present in Umuahia when the operation took place. Soon after the invasion, there was something he said that was all over the place. He said he sacrificed the family of Kanu to save Biafra land; that he averted a war in Biafra land by sacrificing Nnamdi Kanu. That was what he said.

“He wants to identify with Nnamdi Kanu now. But funny enough, when Nnamdi Kanu was incarcerated, he never visited him in prison, nor afterwards. So, it’s shocking what he is saying.

“That is a political statement. You know the way some politicians behave. He shouldn’t think that we can easily be deceived by hiring his supporters from our community to visit him in the Government House and making sorts of flowery comments about our family. You know, it’s just about politics.

“If you look at the list of those who went to see him, no elite from my community was there. The president general never attended; the traditional prime minister never attended too.

“Of course, because this is all about an election, it’s all about campaign. How come you (Ikpeazu) have not done anything, you’ve not said anything, you’ve not visited the community since after the invasion? All of a sudden you started talking of bringing my father back; from where? How come that any sensible man having children will leave his house to go and visit as a king? It’s impossible; it’s not done anywhere. That gathering was not genuine…”