Sunday Igboho Tells Nnamdi Kanu To ‘Sheathe Sword,’ Embrace Dialogue With Tinubu Government
Sunday Igboho Tells Nnamdi Kanu To ‘Sheathe Sword,’ Embrace Dialogue With Tinubu Government
While applauding Kanu’s decision to end what he termed the “economic siege” on the region, Igboho went a step further, urging Kanu to translate that concession into a broader political strategy.
The Yoruba nation activist, Sunday Adeyemo (Igboho), has appealed to the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, urging him to prioritise diplomatic negotiations with the administration of President Bola Tinubu.
The intervention, which signals a potential realignment of strategies among the country’s most prominent separatist figures, was contained in a statement released on Friday and signed by his counsel, Pelumi Olajengbesi.
Igboho’s message to Kanu comes on the heels of the IPOB leader’s recent directive to cancel the controversial Monday sit-at-home order, a directive that had paralyzed economic activities across the five states of the South-East for nearly five years.
While applauding Kanu’s decision to end what he termed the “economic siege” on the region, Igboho went a step further, urging Kanu to translate that concession into a broader political strategy.
According to the statement, Igboho believes that with Kanu already making concessions, the next logical step is to formally engage the Federal Government.
“Chief Sunday Adeyemo wishes to commend the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, on his recent cancellation of the Monday sit-at-home across the South-East zone of Nigeria,” the statement read.
“Chief Igboho believes that the move by Mazi Kanu to end the five-year Monday economic siege on the South-East zone is thoughtful.”
However, the activist did not stop at commendation. In what appears to be a strategic pivot, Igboho explicitly called on Kanu to leverage this goodwill to secure his freedom through legal and political channels rather than resistance.
“Chief Igboho urges the IPOB leader to vigorously explore dialogue and mediation with the Federal Government to break the deadlock in his ordeal,” the statement added.
The Yoruba nation leader expressed confidence in the disposition of the Tinubu-led administration, suggesting that the President might be more open to negotiation than previous regimes.
“While it is the fundamental right of Mazi Kanu to pursue self-determination, Chief Igboho believes that the current administration of President Bola Tinubu is predisposed to negotiation and mutual understanding for the peace, shared prosperity, security, and the deserved respect that the South-East commands,” the statement noted.
In a pointed warning that will likely send ripples through the Southeast, Igboho also took aim at unknown gunmen and criminal elements who have hijacked the agitation for personal gain.
Igboho warned that the continued “desecration” of the region must stop immediately to pave the way for economic recovery.
“Chief Igboho also urges all those who make profits from the desecration and despoliation of the South-East through violence to desist from such acts in the interest of peace and economic prosperity of the region and the nation,” he warned.
The intervention by Igboho is significant, marking the first major show of solidarity between the two leading ethnic nationalists since Kanu’s dramatic rearrest and rendition to Nigeria in 2021.
Kanu is currently serving a life sentence at the Sokoto Correctional Centre after being convicted on terrorism-related charges on November 20, 2025—a verdict his family has vehemently rejected and pledged to appeal.
The call for dialogue from Igboho, who himself has faced the heat of state security forces and currently resides abroad, suggests a growing consensus that the window for armed confrontation may be closing, making way for a renewed push for negotiation as the primary tool for political emancipation.
