An Enugu traditional ruler used a national presidential summit on Tuesday to demand that President Bola Tinubu either release convicted separatist leader Nnamdi Kanu or deport him, warning that the continued imprisonment was eroding the authority of traditional rulers across the South-East.
Eze Lawrence Agubuzu, the traditional ruler of Ezema Olo Community in Ezeagu Local Government Area of Enugu State, addressed President Tinubu directly at the 2026 National Traditional and Religious Leaders Summit on Health held at the State House Conference Centre in Abuja on February 17. Kanu, leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), was convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment for terrorism in November 2025 by a federal court in Abuja, and is currently serving his term at a prison facility in Sokoto State.
Agubuzu told the President that the session’s earlier calls for unity rang hollow while Kanu remained behind bars. He also pointed to what he described as a contradiction at the heart of the summit, alleging that the Ooni of Ife, Oba Enitan Ogunwusi, who had urged national cohesion in his opening remarks, was separately arranging a traditional honour for Yoruba Nation activist Sunday Igboho, whom Agubuzu described as the South-West counterpart of Kanu.
The monarch warned that South-East traditional rulers were losing credibility among young people in their communities, who accused them of travelling to Abuja to collect benefits while staying silent on Kanu. He said youths in the region had become so agitated that some monarchs faced physical threats.
Agubuzu also challenged the legitimacy of the Southern Nigerian Traditional Rulers Council, arguing that no single body could claim to represent the diverse traditional institutions of the entire South, and urged the federal government to channel resources directly to South-East rulers rather than through such a council.
The Ooni of Ife dismissed the claims of disunity, describing the Southern Nigerian Traditional Rulers Council as voluntary but formidable, and maintaining that southern monarchs were working together in good faith.
The summit was themed “The Role of Traditional and Religious Leaders in Advancing the Nigeria Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative” and was convened to deepen community engagement in health sector reforms. President Tinubu later addressed participants, reaffirming his administration’s commitment to healthcare reform and community-driven development.
