Federal Lawmakers Join Clamour for Kanu’s Release

Udora Orizu writes that  following the  Court of Appeal ruling discharging the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu, of terrorism charges, South-east lawmakers at the National Assembly have called on President Muhammadu Buhari to release him as proof of statesmanship

The South-east Caucus of the House of Representatives last week, urged President Muhammadu Buhari to show statesmanship and fatherly introspection by ensuring the release of the leader of the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB), Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, from detention.

The federal lawmakers’ appeal came on the heels of the unanimous decision of the Abuja Division of the Court of Appeal, which discharged the IPOB leader of the terrorism charges brought against him by the federal government.

The killing of the people of the old Eastern Region within the Nigerian Federation had led the then military governor of the region, Lt. Colonel Chukwuemeka Ojukwu, to declare the Republic of Biafra in May 1967. The declaration led to a 30-month civil war, which ended in January 1970 with the Eastern Region returning to Nigeria.

However, secessionist agitation has since resurfaced in the South-east, championed by Kanu through  his Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).

In 2017, President Muhammadu Buhari outlawed IPOB and declared that the activities of the group constituted an act of terrorism. Kanu was earlier arrested and detained but was later released from the Kuje Prison in Abuja after meeting bail conditions. The IPOB leader later fled the country following the invasion of his country home by soldiers. He operated from overseas until he was bundled back to Nigeria from Kenya in June 2021 by the federal government, in contravention of local and international laws and conventions.

Since then, he has been battling in court with the federal government. He eventually got victory a fortnight ago, when the Court of Appeal in Abuja struck out the terrorism charges filed against him by the federal government.

It followed an earlier ruling of the trial judge, Justice Binta Nyako of the Federal High Court in Abuja, in April dismissing eight of the 15 amended counts filed against him by the federal government.

The court struck out all the remaining seven charges against Kanu. It also discharged the embattled leader of IPOB, declaring as illegal and unlawful his abduction from Kenya to Nigeria on July 9, 2021. It quashed the entire terrorism charges brought against him.

The appellate court held that the federal government breached all known local and international laws in the forceful rendition of Kanu to Nigeria, thereby making the terrorism charges against him incompetent and unlawful.

The Appeal Court in a judgment by Justice Oludotun Adebola ordered Kanu’s release from the custody of the Department of State Services (DSS), where the IPOB leader has been held since he was brought back to Nigeria.

Following the court ruling, there have been calls from South-east leaders, urging the government to immediately obey court order and release Kanu.

But the federal government reactions indicated that it is not yet ready to release Kanu. First, the federal government through the Attorney-General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami (SAN), and Minister of Police Affairs, Mohammed Dingyadi, said it was still reviewing the court’s decision before taking a position on it. Second, the National Security Council said it aligned with the position of the AGF.

Malami insisted that the IPOB leader was only discharged and not acquitted by the Court.

But reacting to the delay in Kanu’s release, all the South-east lawmakers in the House of Representatives, across party lines, called on President Buhari to win peace, show statesmanship by immediately obeying the court order.

In a statement jointly signed by the Deputy Minority Leader, Hon. Toby Okechukwu (PDP, Enugu); Deputy Chief Whip, Hon. Nkeiruka Onyejeocha (APC, Abia); House Spokesman, Hon. Benjamin Kalu (APC, Abia); and all others, the lawmakers urged Buhari to obey the ruling of Court of Appeal, which discharged the IPOB leader of the terrorism charges brought against him.

The lawmakers noted that the country is presently contending with terrorism in the North-east; killing of farmers by herders and banditry in the North-central; abductions and armed attacks in the South-west; restiveness and attacks by unknown gunmen in the South-east, and abductions, cult wars, vandalism of oil installations and oil theft in the South-south region. 

According to them, the combined effect of all these has plunged the nation into untold socio-economic malaise. 

The caucus lamented that for the South-east, the enforcement of sit-at-home by faceless gunmen on account of Kanu’s incarceration even long after IPOB revoked and washed its hands off it, has led to wanton loss of human lives, disruption of educational and social activities, and grave economic consequences on the region.

Consequently, the lawmakers noted that the decision of the Court of Appeal is a window of opportunity that should be exploited to solve the Kanu question, find lasting peace and normalcy in the South -east region, and stimulate national unity, healing, and solidarity. 

The statement read: “The reality is that the nation cannot enjoy organic peace so long as any part thereof is troubled. Global experiences and our realities as a nation tell us that heady times like this require not only kinetic options, but also non-kinetic approaches if we must restore and build a peaceful and secure nation where socio-economic and political activities can thrive unhindered. We believe that it is always better to jaw-jaw than to war-war. This underscores the decision of the South-east Caucus of the National Assembly after its extraordinary meeting on September 15, 2021 to advocate political solution to the Mazi Nnamdi Kanu matter.

“In the communiqué signed by the Leader of the South-east Caucus of the National Assembly and former Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, and other leaders, we underscored the need for constructive interface with relevant stakeholders, the Federal Government and its relevant agencies towards finding a political solution. The decision resonated with other key stakeholders and groups in the South East, including the First Republic minister, Chief Mbazuluike Amechi, who led some Igbo leaders to Aso Rock to solicit the release of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu. We recall that on that occasion, President Muhammadu Buhari maintained that his government was committed to non-interference with judicial process, hence he matter should be allowed to run its full judicial course. Times like this call for statesmanship. This is therefore a special appeal to President Muhammadu Buhari to take a fatherly introspection on this issue and toe the path of negotiated solution with guarantees on both sides; and we trust that Mr. President will not allow this veritable opportunity to win peace and write his name in gold pass by.”

Will Buhari heed this appeal? Events of the next few weeks will reveal.