Did Nyesom Wike Say Nnamdi Kanu’s Release Will Only Happen After The Minister’s Death?
On April 4, 2025, Facebook page, UNIQUE DAVID, posted a claim stating that FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike said the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, Nnamdi Kanu will remain in detention as long as he is alive.
The post which had a picture collage of Kanu and Wike was captioned: ““TRENDING NOW “As long as i am alive and breathing, Nnamdi Kanu will never be released, over my dead body.”- Senator Nyesom Wike reveals.
“We offered Nnamdi Kanu a deal that could lift his 10th generation out of hardship, but he insisted on Biafra, which will never happen. Nyesom Wike, has vowed that IPOB leader Nnamdi Kanu will remain in detention as long as he is alive. Speaking in a recent interview, Wike claimed that the government had offered Kanu a life changing deal that could secure the future of his lineage, but he rejected it, insisting on the actualization of Biafra.” #uniquedavid #trendingnow.”
As of the time this report was published, this post had gained 34 likes, 41 comments and 7 shares.
VERIFICATION
Nyesom Wike is a Nigerian politician and lawyer who has served the country across various sectors. He served as Rivers state governor from 2015 to 2023 and is currently serving as the minister of the Federal Capital Territory of the country. While Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), has been the center of significant legal and political conversations these past months due to his ongoing case with the Nigerian federal government on seven counts of terrorism.
To verify this claim, NV-A conducted a related keyword search. Our search results did not turn up any reports or interviews from news outlets or sources to back the claim. Though, there are multiple articles mentioning both of them regarding other matters as they have had media and ideological spats or disagreements over the years, as seen here, here and here.
Further searches revealed the same claim was posted on a Facebook group, UNITED NATIONS MISSION FOR REFERENDUM IN BIAFRALAND by Igbo Times Magazine, a page that is notorious for spreading misinformation and disinformation.
CONCLUSION
The claim that Nyseom Wike said that Kanu’s release can only happen if he dies is FALSE. No reputable news outlet has published reports that back this claim or anything similar and the page spreading the claim is also known for posting misleading content and news.
