By Florencemary Nwabueze
A Nigeria entrepreneur identified has Chigozie Nnabugwu, has publicly urged the federal government to execute the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra-IPOB, Nnamdi Kanu, claiming his death would restore peace to the troubled South-East region of the country.
Chigozie Nnabugwu made the provocative remarks during an appearance on News Central TV's Breakfast Xtra programme, arguing that Kanu's continued existence poses a threat to stability in the region. He asserted that insecurity in the South-East has remarkably decreased following the arrests of key figures in the separatist movement.
"I concur with that. Let me be sincere with you. The time they arrested Nnamdi Kanu, it was like up and down. The time they arrested Simon Ekpa, it reduced by about 50 per cent, the time Nnamdi Kanu was convicted; it reduced to about 10 per cent. That's what we are battling now." Nnabugwu stated during the broadcast.
He then made his most contentious argument, directly calling on the Nigerian government to eliminate the IPOB leader.
"If Nnamdi Kanu is dead today, if the government of Nigeria will kill Nnamdi Kanu, trust me, normalcy will start coming. That's all every Igbo man prays for," he stated
Nnabugwu further acknowledged that military operations alone cannot resolve the region's security challenges. He called for a more comprehensive approach involving community leaders and religious institutions.
“Government cannot do it all. And that is why I am agitating again. If we know where our problem is coming from we can find the solution. Our problem is simply coming from the brainwashed, the hate speech. I want all these organizations in Nigeria, the Catholic bishops, Pentecostal pastors and educated people, let us come on air and educate our people on the consequences of what we are doing. That is the only way to achieve this. The military are not the Holy Spirit that is everywhere. Bombs are still killing people in my community. The military have done a lot, but these people keep planting them again. The only way to solve this problem is to let every Igbo man know the truth and stand by the truth," he said.
Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), has been in Nigerian custody since 2021, when he was extraordinarily rendition from Kenya. In November 2025, the Nigerian government secured a life sentence against him on terrorism-related charges connected to his campaign for an independent Biafran state.
Kanu is currently serving his term at a Nigerian Correctional Service facility in Sokoto, northwestern Nigeria, far from his native South-East region.
The federal government has not officially responded to Nnabugwu's remarks, and it remains unclear whether authorities will investigate the businessman's comments.