By Olokuta Rofiat
Senator Orji Uzor Kalu says more than 30,000 people have died and countless businesses destroyed as a result of Nnamdi Kanu’s separatist agitation in the South-East.
Kalu made the claim on November 23, urging a political solution to the crisis.
He warned that the human and economic toll of the agitation has been “enormous,” noting that many traders lost their shops and livelihoods.
“Do you know that over 30,000 Igbos were killed? People who have shops lost their businesses,” he said.
The senator cautioned against politicising Kanu’s detention, stressing that resolving the issue requires sober reflection and strategic dialogue, not emotional outbursts.
He also shared stories of affected victims, including an elderly rice trader whose shop was looted, leaving her bankrupt.
Kalu said he has been working quietly with the federal government to pursue a political settlement, arguing that compromise, not confrontation is the path to lasting peace.
He further defended Justice James Omotosho, who recently convicted Kanu on terrorism charges, insisting that court judgments must be respected.
Kalu’s remarks follow Kanu’s conviction on seven terrorism counts by a Federal High Court in Abuja, with several carrying life sentences.