According to The Sun News, on Saturday, December 20, 2025, Eze Ojoto III, Igwe Gerald Obunadike Mbamalu, and Eze Oranyelu I, the traditional ruler of Ojoto in the Idemili South Local Government Area of Anambra State, spoke with Sunday Sun ahead of the celebration of his third Ofala festival.
During the interview, he discussed major national issues, shared his position on the case of Nnamdi Kanu, and appealed to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to grant him a state pardon. He also stressed that the Southeast should be given its rightful place within Nigeria.
While acknowledging the recent move by Northern governors and traditional rulers to confront insecurity in their region, he questioned why such action took more than ten years to materialise. He also offered suggestions on steps that could be taken to strengthen the role and effectiveness of traditional rulers in managing their communities.
He described it as unfortunate that former United States President Donald Trump labelled Nigeria a country of particular concern due to the killing of innocent Nigerians, mostly Christians, in the North. According to him, the resistance by some Northern elders and leaders to the stance taken by governors and royal fathers suggests that certain high-ranking officials are benefiting from the ongoing insurgency in the region.
He explained that judges are neither mystics nor fortune tellers but professionals who base their decisions strictly on evidence presented before them. In every case, there must be a complainant and a defendant. The complainant presents evidence, while the defendant responds and defends himself.
He noted that this was the process followed in the case between Mazi Nnamdi Kanu and the prosecution at the Federal High Court in Abuja. However, he expressed regret that Kanu did not present a defence towards the conclusion of the trial.
According to him, courts always give room for a defence, and a judge’s decision is shaped by the arguments and evidence provided. Where no defence is offered, the court relies solely on the prosecution’s case. He therefore urged people in the Southeast to focus their response on pursuing appeals at the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court, where a strong defence can be presented.
He further stated that opposing the efforts of Northern governors and traditional rulers amounts to indirectly endorsing Donald Trump’s threat to deploy US military force against terrorists, bandits, Boko Haram and ISWAP. He claimed that investigations by the United States revealed that some influential Nigerians are sponsors of the killings of Christians, which informed the resolve of Northern leaders to jointly tackle insecurity.
He said the leaders agreed that urgent action was necessary to avoid total collapse of security in the North, noting that insecurity affects all parts of the country, not just one region. While some criminals evade justice, he maintained that anyone caught by the law must face the consequences. He added that insecurity did not begin under the Tinubu administration but was inherited..
He argued that one practical step the President can take is to grant Nnamdi Kanu a presidential pardon, pointing out that terrorism continues to thrive in the North while many known ringleaders have neither been arrested nor prosecuted, and some even move freely and interact with influential individuals who negotiate ransoms on their behalf.
He said the scale of kidnapping and insecurity is far greater than what is publicly known, adding that security agencies possess intelligence not available to the public. According to him, Nigeria’s porous borders allow the inflow of criminals carrying advanced weapons.
He said, “When he was interviewed, Sheikh Ibrahim Gumi affirmed that the terrorists have more sophisticated guns than our security personnel.”
He added that the United States does not act without clear interests, stressing that America will only engage where it stands to gain something in return.
He said the US prioritises its own interests and possesses superior technology and intelligence capabilities. Whatever information the US shares, he noted, is what Nigeria receives and acts upon.
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