Nextier Group Calls For Kanu’s Release To Curb Southeast Insecurity

Nextier, a non-governmental organisation, has urged Nigeria’s federal government to release Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of the outlawed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), in order to alleviate rising tensions and insecurity in the Southeast.

Nextier’s annual Violent Conflict Report 2025, released Wednesday in Abuja, argued that Kanu’s continued detention exacerbates the current climate of unrest, blurring the line between genuine Biafran separatist agitation and criminal banditry.

Dr. Ndubuisi Nwokolo, Nextier’s Managing Partner, presented the report, “Mutations of terror and conflict,” which painted a bleak picture of violence in Nigeria. Between 2020 and 2024, the country saw a staggering 20,472 deaths and injuries from 5,291 violent incidents.

In 2024 alone, there were 43 terrorist incidents and 1,306 bandit attacks. Between June 2020 and December 2024, an additional 11,002 kidnappings were reported, with the Northwest bearing the brunt of the burden.

Farmer-herder conflicts also contributed significantly to the casualty figures, with 2,347 casualties reported in 359 incidents during the same time period. The report also highlighted other forms of violence, such as cultism, communal clashes, and extrajudicial killings.

Nextier’s analysis identifies a complex interplay of factors driving the increase in violence. The organisation emphasised unchecked illegal mining in the Northwest, which fuels bandit armies, and urged increased government regulation.

The report also identified five external factors that will shape Nigeria’s security landscape in 2025: the Sudanese conflict, the spread of terrorist groups in the Sahel, Nigeria’s evolving relationship with France, electoral outcomes in neighbouring countries, and Russia’s growing influence in Africa.

The report specifically linked the trend of secessionism in 2025 to the government’s handling of Kanu’s incarceration and its negotiations with Finland over Simon Ekpa’s extradition.

It also suggested that kidnapping trends would be determined by the effective use of increased security spending, the strength of local vigilante groups, and the amount of cash in circulation.

According to the report, farmer-herder conflicts will be determined by the success of the newly established Ministry of Livestock Development and the Presidential Committee on Livestock Reforms.

Nextier predicts that ethnic tensions, godfatherism, information manipulation, and the upcoming general elections in 2027 will all have an impact on political conflict.

Nextier urgedovernment to take a multifaceted approach to combating terrorism, proposing both kinetic and non-kinetic strategies.

This includes better equipping the military and ensuring that increased defence spending leads to tangible security improvements.

The organisation emphasised the importance of strengthening the government’s control and regulatory capacity throughout the country in order to effectively address Nigeria’s multifaceted security challenges.