Over 30,000 Killed Due to Nnamdi Kanu’s Agitation, Says Orji Kalu

• Senator Orji Uzor Kalu says more than 30,000 people have died and countless businesses destroyed across the South-East as a result of secessionist agitations linked to Nnamdi Kanu.

Senator Orji Uzor Kalu has claimed that over 30,000 people were killed and thousands of businesses ruined in the South-East as a result of agitations associated with the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu.

Kalu, who represents Abia North in the Senate, made the statement on Sunday while appearing on Channels Television’s Politics Today.

Speaking in reaction to Kanu’s recent conviction on terrorism charges, the former Abia State governor urged political stakeholders and supporters to stop “noise making” and seek a political settlement to the crisis.

He argued that national conversations have focused heavily on clashes with security operatives while ignoring the massive casualties and economic devastation suffered by ordinary residents.

He said, “It’s not the time for noise-making or fighting. It’s a time for sober reflection. We have to solve this problem holistically. Do you know that over 30,000 Igbos were killed? People who have shops lost their businesses.”

Kalu recalled personal accounts of traders whose livelihoods were destroyed, including a close family acquaintance whose rice business collapsed during the unrest.

“My mother’s friend had a rice shop… they ransacked the old woman’s shops and she went bankrupt. Nobody talks about it,” he lamented.

Says solution must be political

Kalu disclosed that he has been engaging the Federal Government quietly in pursuit of a political resolution for Kanu, insisting that emotions must be set aside.

“Let Igbos stop being emotional. I want us to settle down, go on our knees and find a way that a man can be released. It’s part of my job to do it,” he said.

He recounted how he intervened in 2016 and 2017, persuading the Buhari administration to approve Kanu’s bail, adding that he resisted pressure to stop The Sun newspaper — which he owns — from publishing stories about the IPOB leader.

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Defends judge who convicted Kanu

The senator also defended Justice James Omotosho, who convicted Kanu last week, saying criticism of the judge was misplaced.

“Nobody should question the decision of Justice Omotosho. If you are displeased, you go to the appellate court. It’s not to start insulting the man,” he said.

Kalu criticised Kanu’s courtroom behaviour, contrasting it with his own conduct during his corruption trial, where he said he never insulted judges despite receiving a 12-year sentence.

Background

Earlier in the week, Nnamdi Kanu was convicted on seven terrorism-related charges by the Federal High Court in Abuja. Justice Omotosho sentenced him to life imprisonment on multiple counts, with additional sentences ranging from five to twenty years.

The charges stemmed from IPOB’s activities, alleged attacks on security personnel, destruction of public infrastructure, and directives including sit-at-home orders which the court ruled amounted to terrorism under Nigerian law.