No Basis to Compare Nnamdi Kanu with Sunday Igboho, Insists Presidency

By 𝔸bdulrazak Tomiwa

The Presidency has formally rejected comparisons between IPOB leader, Nnamdi Kanu and activist Sunday Igboho, citing “fundamentally different” contexts.

Presidential aide Sunday Dare clarified that while both are regional figures, their methods and the resulting impact on national security are not equivalent. This statement aims to address public discourse that often groups the two together despite their diverging paths.

Dare categorized Kanu’s movement as a violent “armed rebellion” against the Nigerian state, characterized by insurrection and the formation of a militia. He linked IPOB’s activities to over 700 deaths and severe economic paralysis caused by enforced “sit-at-home” orders.

Consequently, the administration views Kanu’s actions as a direct assault on the nation’s sovereignty and security.

In contrast, the Presidency described Sunday Igboho’s activism as a defensive response to criminal herders rather than a campaign against the government.

Dare noted that Igboho did not establish a militia to attack security forces or attempt to shut down regional commerce. Because his advocacy remained localized and defensive, the state does not equate his conduct with the insurgency attributed to Kanu.

This distinction serves as a firm rebuttal to calls for Kanu’s release based on the treatment of other agitators. By drawing this line, the Tinubu administration is signaling that Kanu’s legal situation which recently resulted in a terrorism conviction is a matter of national security rather than political grievance.

Dare concluded that the scale of violence and state-targeted aggression makes the two cases incomparable.