Swiss Embassy Denies Kanu’s Brother Visa, IPOB Alleges

David-Chyddy Eleke in Awka

The leader of the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB) has alleged that the Swiss Embassy in Nigeria has denied Mr. Emmanuel Kanu, the younger brother of the leader of the separatist group, Mr. Nnamdi Kanu, entry visa to Switzerland.

The younger Kanu, was said to have been invited to Switzerland by the United Nations over the continued disappearance of his elder brother, Nnamdi and his parents, since September last year, when soldiers invaded their residence in Afaraukwu, Umuahia, Abia State.

A statement by IPOB, which was signed by the group’s Media and Publicity Secretary, Mr. Emma Powerful, berated the Swiss embassy for denying Kanu visa, saying that the younger Kanu recently returned from the US, where he was cleared to travel, and did not exhaust the visa duration approved for him by the US government.

The statement said those who were usually denied visa were people who could fail to return back to the country if allowed to travel, adding that the younger Kanu did not fall in the category.

The group said the visit was even more important, considering that it had to do with the life of the leader of the group and his parents, who have been missing since last year.

IPOB said it would be forced to identify Switzerland as a country that promotes mass murder if the younger Kanu missed the opportunity of telling the UN the story of the disappearance of his family members, especially as many members of the group were killed in the September 2017 invasion.

“The United Nations office invited the Kanu family to meet them in Switzerland to ascertain what truly transpired during the massacre of the September 14, 2017 at Isiama Afaraukwu during Operation Python Dance 2.

“This ugly episode necessitated the enforced disappearance of our leader, Nnamdi Kanu, his aged parents and other family members of IPOB since last year. It is important we state clearly that our leader’s whereabouts is still unknown since that very invasion.

“If the United Nations has chosen to invite surviving members of the family to a meeting in Geneva to ascertain the facts, why is the Swiss embassy stopping it?” the group queried.

The group further added that, “A copy of the UN letter inviting Kanu and the rest of the family to the event in Geneva is in the possession of the Swiss embassy; so, why the reluctance to issue the entry visa if not for political considerations.

“Should the Swiss government allow this travesty to subsist, IPOB will have no option than to regard it as an accessory to mass murder and promoter of human rights abuses in Africa,” IPOB added.