The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has kicked against the introduction of the death certificate of Ahmed Gulak, former aide to erstwhile president, Goodluck Jonathan in Nnamdi Kanu’s trial.
Spokesperson of the group, Emma Powerful, in a statement described the tendering of the certificate in court against Kanu’s trial as diversionary and lacking “evidentiary value in the context.”
His statement read in part: “Rather than report on the embarrassing cross-examination of their confused witness, known as PW-BBB, who admitted under oath that no investigation report exists to support the politically motivated charges, the media is awash with irrelevant stories about the tendering of a death certificate.
“Let it be known that the so-called death certificate of Gulak, former aide to ex-President Jonathan has no evidentiary value whatsoever in the context of the ongoing trial.
“The Federal Government’s prosecuting counsel, Awomolo, acting with shocking dishonesty, attempted to reintroduce evidence after closing his examination-in-chief, an unethical and unacceptable legal manoeuver designed only to mask the shame of a failed prosecution.
“Further clarifying what he termed a misconception of the date Gulak was murdered and the date set aside by the group ordering for a sit-at-home, he said: “It is important to set the record straight. The sit-at-home observance declared by IPOB for the annual May 30 Remembrance Day in 2021 was held on Monday, May 31, 2021, not Sunday, May 30. Gulak was murdered on Sunday, a full day before the observance.
“This timeline alone dismantles the fabricated claim that IPOB had any involvement in his death. The attempt to retrofit this tragic event into their crumbling narrative is not just deceitful, it is criminal.
“We remind the world that this is not the first time the Nigerian state has weaponised misinformation and historical revisionism to justify ethnic persecution. Just as the 1966 coup was falsely labelled an “Igbo coup” to ignite the genocidal war against our people, they now seek to frame IPOB for every act of state-engineered violence in the South East.
“We call on all responsible media outlets to return to the core principles of journalism, truth, accuracy and objectivity, and to demand the full transcript of court proceedings before parroting government propaganda. The world is watching.
“Mazi Nnamdi Kanu remains a prisoner of conscience, unlawfully detained in violation of local and international law. No amount of lies, death certificates or courtroom gimmicks will stop the truth. We demand his immediate and unconditional release.”
Credit: The Sun