Amid mystery over IPOB leader Kanu’s whereabouts, wife insists he’s with Army, fears he may be dead

Uche Kanu, Wife of Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has insisted that her husband is in the custody of the Nigerian Army, but doubts if he is still alive.

Her claim is coming despite denials by Nigerian Army that it has no knowledge of the whereabouts of the leader of the group from the South-East part of Nigeria, calling for the independence of Biafra from Nigeria.

Uche Kanu, who spoke during an interview with BBC Igbo, explained that the Nigerian Army is thinking that the “battle is over” by holding Kanu in their custody, “but it is not over,” she said.

According to her, the last time she spoke with her husband was September last year when Nigerian soldiers invaded their home in Abia State.

“The IPOB people are not sleeping. The army is going to tell them where their leader is. Keeping Nnamdi Kanu does not mean that IPOB is asleep.

“I don’t know where my husband is. If he is dead or alive, I don’t know. The people that are supposed to answer these questions are the army.

“The last time I spoke with him was when the army came to shoot in our house. He called me and asked if I was hearing the gunshots. I heard the gunshots and started shouting and asked him what was wrong.

“He said they are shooting and he is inside the house. That was the last time we spoke.”

On the denial by the Minister of Information, Lai Mohammed that government was not in the custody of Kanu, Uche said:

“Of course, that is what they will say, that they don’t know where he is. Lai Mohammed said he is not in their custody. That is what happened in another part of Africa that IPOB people were showing the world when they held him at first in 2015.

“I also asked them where he was and they claimed not to know. They released him afterwards. They have done it the first and second time, now they are lying about it for the third time. So, when they have done it twice and still claimed not to be the ones, would you believe?”

Responding on a question if the husband will regret his action she said, “He can never say had I known. This is what everybody is seeing that we want. My husband is not alone. He is fighting for the Biafrans. He wants togetherness. He is not coming out to be enemies with anybody. Our own ways are different, we do things differently.

“The way they are treating us is different from the way they are treating other people. The Hausas act differently to each other than the way they act to Igbos. We want to leave. It is not a bad thing. So many other cities are leaving.

“If you don’t have a strong mind, you cannot fight a strong battle. They are with Nnamdi Kanu and they think the battle is over but it is not over. People have been asking questions. Our people are angry.

“I hope he is alive in their custody. I know who I married, he can never say had I known. There is no way.”

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She further said that the late Biafran warlord, Chukwuemeka Ojukwu would not have failed had it been he was given a chance to rule Nigeria.

Ojukwu led the Biafran army that unsuccessfully tried to secede from Nigeria in 1967.

She added, “Nigerians will not allow an Igbo person lead the country but if they had allowed, Ojukwu wouldn’t have failed.”

 

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