Incarcerated leader of the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPoB), Nnamdi Kanu, has agreed to abide by any condition the Federal government would give for his release from custody.

Leading South East senators to a meeting with the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Prince Lateef Fagbemi on Wednesday to demand Kanu’s release, the Senator representing Abia South, Enyinnaya Abaribe, said that he had already met with the IPoB leader at the headquarters of the Department of State Services (DSS).

Abaribe, who spoke on behalf of his colleagues, said he is optimistic that the AGF would persuade the government to show compassion, and order Kanu’s release.

He argued that the continued detention of the IPoB leader is responsible for the rising level of insecurity and agitations in the South East region.

According to him, unless Kanu is released, social and economic activities within the region would remain stagnant.

The meeting between the lawmakers and the AGF came barely one day after the governors from the South East region resolved to approach President Bola Tinubu to beg for Kanu’s freedom.

Earlier, about 50 members of the House of Representatives from various parts of the country had urged President Tinubu to free the detained IPoB leader.

The representatives, who identified themselves as “Concerned Federal Lawmakers for Peace and Security in the South East”, urged President Tinubu to direct the AGF to invoke Section 174 of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, to terminate the terrorism-related charge that is pending against Kanu before the Abuja Division of the Federal High Court.

Kanu was first arrested in Lagos on October 14, 2015 upon his return to the country from the United Kingdom.

On April 25, 2017, Justice Binta Nyako granted him bail on health ground, after he had spent about 18 months in custody.

Upon the perfection of the bail conditions, he was on April 28, 2017, he released from the Kuje prison.

However, midway into the trial, the IPoB leader escaped from the country after soldiers invaded his country home at Afara Ukwu Ibeku in Umuahia, Abia State, an operation that led to the death of some of his followers.

Abaribe, who initially stood as his surety, alongside two others, subsequently applied to the court to be allowed to withdraw from the case.

Not satisfied with Abaribe’s claim that he was not aware of the whereabouts of the defendant, the trial court ordered him to forfeit the N100 million he deposited as bond to secure Kanu’s bail.

Meanwhile, Kanu was later re-arrested in Kenya on June 19, 2021 and extraordinarily renditioned back to the country by security agents on June 27, 2021.

Following the development, the trial court, on June 29, 2021, remanded him in custody of DSS, where he has remained till date.

On April 8, 2022, the court struck out eight out of the 15-count charge that Federal government preferred against him, on the premise that they lacked substance.

On October 13, 2022, the Abuja Division of the Court of Appeal ordered Kanu’s immediate release from detention, and quashed the charge against him.

Dissatisfied with the decision, the Federal government took the matter before the Supreme Court, and persuaded the appellate court to suspend the execution of the judgment, pending the determination of its appeal.

While deciding the appeal last December 15, the Supreme Court vacated the judgment of the appellate court, and gave the Federal government the nod to try the IPoB leader on the subsisting seven-count charge.