The Catholic Bishops of Ecclesiastical Province of Owerri, Imo State, on Sunday warned of repercussions over the possible mismanaging of the case of the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu by the Federal Government.
The Bishops issued the warning in a communiqué at the end of their meeting at Ahiara, Mbaise.
The communique was signed by the Metropolitan Archbishop of Owerri, Most Rev. Anthony Obinna, who is the Chairman, and Most Rev. Augustine Echema, who is the Secretary.
The Bishops who said the world is watching to see how the Federal Government handle the trial, urged the Federal Government to embark on a dialogue with the agitators.
They added that the rearrest would not end the agitation.
They said: “His (Kanu) recent arrest is an opportunity for the government to initiate dialogues on the issues of justice, equity and fairness that underpin the agitation of his group and the agitation of other groups, like the one led by Sunday Adeyemo, popularly called Igboho, for the Yoruba nation, calling for self-determination and restructuring.
“It is worthy of note that the re-arrest of Nnamdi Kanu, will not end such agitations. The mismanagement of his case and any other will trigger avoidable unrest.
“We wish to state that the world is watching how the Federal Government is handling the case of the leader of IPOB, Nnamdi Kanu, who stands as a metaphor for political exclusion and marginalization.”
The revered Bishops called on the government to enhance security and peace by facilitating youth empowerment, ensuring regular payment of salaries and pensions, and establish social amenities to alleviate hardship ravaging Nigerians.
According to them, most of the people in society fall below the poverty index, stating that with such a situation, tensions, conflicts and restiveness were expected to be on the increase.
