Umeh Tells FG to Obey Court of Appeal, Release Nnamdi Kanu

David-Chyddy Eleke in Awka

A former National Chairman of All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) and senatorial candidate of the Labour Party (LP) for Anambra Central, Chief Victor Umeh, has called on the federal government to release secessionist leader, Nnamdi Kanu.

The Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja had Friday discharged Kanu, leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) of terrorism charges, but the attorney general of the federation, Abubakar Malami said the judgement of the court does not quash other charges against him, before he left Nigeria in 2017.

But the freedom fighter is still being held in detention by the federal government.

Umeh, in an interview with THISDAY said the federal government, has no reason to continue to keep him.

“The news of the Court of Appeal judgement is very soothing and gladdening, in the sense that the federal government of Nigeria, has been given a golden opportunity to bring to an end  the controversy between IPOB and the federal government of Nigeria.

“When he (Kanu) was brought home from Kenya last year, I was one of those who asked that the matter be given fair judicial adjudication. Along the line, through a suit installed by Kanu, a court in Umuahia quashed the charges against him and ordered that he should be released unconditionally.

“At that time, I had told the federal government to use political solution to the matter, and end the matter and stop the political and security tension, but they did not.

“Now that the court of appeal has quashed the charges against him, it is trite for the FG to release him and let him go. Already, the United nations had made an earlier order for the release is Kanu.

“While the UN and the world was waiting for government to toe that line, the Court of Appeal has also made an order for his release. I don’t think the federal government has any reason to continue to keep him.”

Umeh, who also spoke on the press release from the attorney general and minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, which insisted that Kanu had other cases to answer said the recent judgement setting Kanu free was a window for the federal government to embrace peace.