The father of Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, Eze Israel Kanu, has died at the age of 86.
The younger brother of the IPOB leader, Emma, confirmed this to our correspondent but did not disclose the cause of his death.
He, however, assured Saturday PUNCH that he would officially speak on the death of his father, who was the Isiama Afaraukwu, on Saturday.
The traditional ruler of Okwulaga Afaraukwu and representative of the Afaraukwu Eze-in-Council, Eze Eddy Ibeabuchi, also confirmed the death adding that further information would be disclosed to the public later.
Nnamdi Kanu’s mother had died in August following the alleged shock of the invasion of her residence by the military during Python Dance II in Umuahia in September, 2017, fuelling the speculation that the grief suffered by her husband might have contributed to his death.
On his part, the Abia State Commissioner for Information, John Kalu, described the incident as a shock, considering the late traditional ruler’s contribution to the development of his community and Abia State.
Meanwhile, the leadership of IPOB has condoled with its leader over the death of his father.
In a statement on Friday, the group lamented that their leader had lost in his struggle to liberate his people from the stranglehold of the Nigerian government, alleging that the attack on Kanu’s Afaraukwu residence in September, 2017, was a contributory cause of his death and that of his wife.
The statement read in part, “The global family of the Indigenous People of Biafra wishes to console the family of our leader, Nnamdi Kanu, the entire Kanu family and the community of Afaraukwu over the passing of their father, uncle, brother and traditional ruler, His Royal Majesty, Eze Sir Israel Okwu Kanu, the Egwu Ukwu II of Afaraukwu, who joined his ancestors as a result of health complications arising from the trauma of the invasion of his palace by Nigerian soldiers on September 14, 2017, and most recently, over the shock of the sudden death of his wife, Ugoeze Kanu.
“We are left in no doubt that the military attack on Isiama Afaraukwu and the Kanu family by the armed forces of the Federal Government of Nigeria is the principal cause of death of our leader’s parents.”
