President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Tuesday held a closed-door meeting with Abia State Governor Alex Otti at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, in what sources suggest was focused on efforts to secure the release of detained Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu.
While the Presidency did not publicly disclose the agenda of the meeting, sources informed Vanguard that discussions centered on the ongoing political and legal strategies aimed at resolving Kanu’s detention.
The meeting comes just days after Governor Otti visited Kanu at the Sokoto Correctional Centre, where the IPOB leader is serving a life sentence following his conviction on terrorism-related charges on November 20, 2025.
During that visit, the governor was accompanied by a high-level delegation that included Kanu’s younger brother, Emmanuel Kanu; Abia State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Ikechukwu Uwanna, SAN; his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Ferdinand Ekeoma; and officials from the Sokoto State Government.
Governor Otti has made it clear that securing Kanu’s freedom remains a top priority for his administration. Following the prison visit, he reaffirmed his commitment to pursuing a pre-agreed strategy to obtain Kanu’s release through lawful channels.
“While Mazi Nnamdi Kanu is free to appeal his conviction, I’m happy to inform you that I have activated, and will continue to work on, the already agreed strategy until his freedom is secured,” Governor Otti stated through his media aide.
The governor’s intensified engagement on the matter signals a coordinated approach involving legal, political, and diplomatic efforts to address the controversial detention, which has remained a contentious issue in Nigeria’s Southeast region.
Kanu’s conviction has sparked mixed reactions across the country, with supporters demanding his release while critics maintain that he should face the full consequences of the charges against him.
The IPOB leader was initially arrested and extradited to Nigeria in 2021 under controversial circumstances. Despite a 2022 Court of Appeal ruling that ordered his release, the federal government continued his prosecution, culminating in his recent conviction.
Governor Otti’s Tuesday meeting with President Tinubu is seen as a significant step in the push for an administrative resolution to Kanu’s case, potentially through a presidential pardon or other legal remedies.
