The traditional rulers asked President Buhari to probe the disappearance of Kanu's parents.
Monarchs from three communities in Afaraukwu, Umuahia North Local Government Area of Abia State, have accused the army of being responsible for the disappearance of the parents of leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu.
In a petition signed by the President-Generals of Okwulaga, Enyiukwu and Isiama autonomous communities, the traditional rulers charged President Muhammadu Buhari to investigate the events of September 14, 2017 when the palace of HRH Eze Israel Kanu was invaded by soldiers who were allegedly hunting for Kanu and IPOB members.
The rulers - Levi Ogbonna, Cletus Uwaechi and Chief Ikechukwu Ndubueze - asked the president to set up a panel of enquiry to determine what role the army's invasion played in the disappearance of HRH Kanu.
According to them, the monarch, his wife, Lolo Sally, and some of his subjects have not been seen since September 14 after the alleged invasion took place.
The petition read in part, "That since September 14, 2017 the whereabouts of one of our traditional ruler, HRH Eze I. O. Kanu, and members of his family, including some members of Isiama Afaraukwu community, are still unknown."
The monarchs expressed fears that some members of the community that are missing may have been killed by the soldiers, and called on the president to compel the army to release everyone they allegedly abducted.
They also demanded full compensation for the destruction of HRH Kanu's palace and the return of items allegedly seized from the palace by the soldiers.
Kanu's disappearance
HRH Kanu is the father of Nnamdi Kanu who has also not been seen in public since the alleged attack on September 14, and has missed a few court appearances since then.
His counsel, Ifeanyi Ejiofor, continues to claim that he's in custody of the military while the government has always maintained that Kanu has gone into hiding to avoid prosecution with other rumours circulating that he might have even escaped to the United Kingdom.
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He was arrested by the Department of State Security (DSS) in 2015 and spent two years in custody until he was granted bail on health grounds in April 2017.
Due to the events that happened in September when IPOB members publicly clashed with soldiers, the activities of the group has been proscribed and it has been branded a terrorist organisation, a decision it is still fighting in court in the absence of its leader.