Nnamdi Kanu’s Arrest: I hope the Nigerian government will not mismanage this again -By Rees Chikwendu

Yesterday when the news on the arrest of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu flooded social media, Nigerians swallowed hook, line, and sinker the half-truth their government released. Nigerian media immediately copied and pasted the same news without a thorough investigation and asking the right questions. It is troublesome that Nigerian media have descended this low to promote gutter journalism.

Knowing what we know and the civilized ways of doing things over here, some of us maintained that Mazi Kanu – a British citizen – was not arrested in the UK or extradited to Nigeria by the British government. I don’t know what is difficult to understand in this simple international matter. Shockingly, even those you consider educated or ‘intellectuals’ and who should understand, gaffed, too.

Olusegun Obasanjo and Muhammadu Buhari

This morning I read somewhere a hate-filled article written by Farooq Kperogi, who claims he knew since the beginning of the month that Mazi Nnamdi Kanu would be arrested and extradited to Nigeria, but his informant got him to keep it to himself. I have known Kperogi to be an ethnic bigot who tries laboriously to hide it from the gullible Nigerians, so I wasn’t surprised at the hate for Mazi Kanu. Deep down his heart, he shares the same Janjaweed hatred for the Igbo, and it doesn’t matter how he decks his articles with fanciful and misleading words that latent bigotry has ways of manifestation. That is a common denominator for those one-Nigerianists. Although, some of his hate for Mazi Nnamdi Kanu and the Igbo come from a place of admiration. I think he knows that Mazi Kanu is intellectually sound even though he framed it as “unhinged and unstable.” Despite his title as a Professor, he is no match for Mazi Nnamdi Kanu.

Now, let me burst his overblown bubble. Yes, he has some Janjaweed informants in the Nigerian government, no doubt. But they only knew because it was already a done deal that Mazi should hand himself over to the Nigerian government. Any other drama observed involves preserving some reputation or dignity (if any) for Nigeria, which wants to appear as the bigger boy in the behind-the-scene deal reached with IPoB. It will become clearer in the weeks to come. FYI, Kperogi’s claim wasn’t anything extraordinary.

Mazi Nnamdi Kanu

For those who do not know, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu has been in Africa for weeks now, and it is part of the plan. On the 10th of June, former Nigeria’s President, Olusegun Obasanjo, met with other ex-heads of state, prominent traditional leaders, and elder statesmen in Abuja to seal the deal. The meeting lasted for hours, and Nnamdi Kanu and security were top on the agenda. Prominent international actors were also involved in getting Mazi Kanu to turn himself in. There is nothing special about Nigeria’s security agents and intelligence gathering. It was simply a done deal, and they know it. Besides, Nnamdi Kanu would not be so foolish to be in Africa if he doesn’t want to be captured. Do you think he doesn’t have his intelligence gathering if he wants to avoid the capture? I don’t think he travels alone wherever he goes.

However, the Nigerian government is good at mismanaging crises, and I won’t be surprised if they renege on the deal they had with IPoB. If they do, what I am sure of is that Mazi Nnamdi Kanu has more cards up his sleeve, and Nigeria may never get another opportunity if they mismanage it this time. The desperate party is the Nigerian government, not Nnamdi Kanu. The damage already done to the Nigerian state through Kanu’s movement will be a child’s play to what will happen now that he is in Nigeria’s custody. Don’t be surprised when you start seeing creative suicide bombings in major Nigerian cities, including the capital.

I hope the Nigerian government will not mismanage this again.

Those who say he should come back home and lead the struggle should know he is now home. Hope you won’t complain again when the struggle takes a different twist.