Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu urges Nigerians to remain calm after Nnamdi Kanu’s conviction, calling for restraint, dialogue, and peaceful engagement

The Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, has appealed for calm across Nigeria, especially within the Igbo community, following the conviction and sentencing of Indigenous People of Biafra leader, Nnamdi Kanu, on terrorism charges.

Also read: Nnamdi Kanu sentenced to life imprisonment in Abuja

In a statement shared on her official X account on Friday, Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu described the judgment as disappointing, noting that it was “not what we anticipated, nor prayed for, but a reality that is now upon us.”

She had just returned from Zanzibar, Tanzania, where she was participating in a monitoring exercise for the National Tripartite Advisory Council.

Odumegwu-Ojukwu urged restraint and warned that emotional or incendiary reactions could aggravate tensions both within Nigeria and among diaspora communities.

She stressed that this moment calls for maturity and careful action.

“There comes a time in the history of a people when there is a need for calm,” she said. “I therefore advise Ndigbo, and Nigerians as a whole, that such a period is now.

All actions that could escalate the situation should be curtailed. A word is enough for the wise.”

The minister emphasised that constructive dialogue remains the most effective path to resolving the crisis.

She called on Igbo leaders, including governors, lawmakers, traditional rulers, clergy, business figures, and political actors, to close ranks and engage meaningfully.

She added that the quest for justice, equity, and dignity for Ndigbo in Nigeria must be pursued through collective resolve and peaceful engagement, noting that maintaining order is vital for the security of all citizens.

Reassuring both Nigerians and international partners, Odumegwu-Ojukwu said opportunities still exist to de-escalate tensions and prevent further societal trauma.

She urged South-East stakeholders to unite for “a joint engagement, sincerely, to seek a political resolution to this matter.”

Kanu was convicted on November 20 by the Federal High Court in Abuja on seven terrorism-related counts.

Justice James Omotosho sentenced him to life imprisonment on five counts, 20 years on one, and five years on another, with all sentences to run concurrently.