The proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra has rejected the offer of the governor of Anambra State, Professor Chukwuma Soludo, to stand as surety for its leader, Nnamdi Kanu, to be released, saying the Federal Government is in breach of the order of its own court.
While welcoming the call by Soludo to release Kanu unconditionally, the group said the call was belated, coming three months after “the Court of Appeal…discharged and acquitted” its leader.
It added that the governor should rather call on the Federal Government to respect its own court and grant Kanu freedom.
This was contained in a statement by the media and publicity secretary of IPOB, Emma Powerful, made available to journalists in a reaction to Soludo’s appeal to the FG to release the detained IPOB leader to him.
The statement partly read, “We welcome the call by the Governor of Anambra State, Charles Soludo, for the unconditional release of our leader Mazi Nnamdi Kanu.
“But the said call for the unconditional release of our leader is belated, and coming three months and one day after the Court of Appeal, Abuja judicial division, in its erudite judgement delivered on the 13th day of October 2022, discharged and acquitted the leader of IPOB and all the remaining 8-Count amended charge preferred against him.
“The court consequently directed for his unconditional release in the landmark judgement. It further prohibited the Federal Government of Nigeria from further detaining our leader or even presenting him for trial on any indictment or offence whatsoever before any court in Nigeria.”
IPOB noted that its leader no longer had any form of indictment or pending charge that required a surety, hence the issue of bail did not arise.
The group alleged that the FG was in breach of its own court order.
“It is important, therefore, to clarify that our leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, has no form of indictment or even charge pending against him today before any court by the authority of this Judgement.
“The issue of granting bail or otherwise does not arise by any stretch of consideration or imagination, because it is the Federal Government that is today in breach of this order of superior court of competent Jurisdiction.
“It is to be emphasized further that Onyendu, who was discharged on the 13th Day of October 2022, by the Court of Appeal does not have any need for surety because there is no charge hanging on his neck today.
“We have gone beyond the issue of surety or no surety, every genuine call/demand in the prevailing circumstance should be firmly directed at calling on the Federal Government of Nigeria to immediately obey the order for the unconditional release of ‘Onyendu’ made by its own court.
“May we also remind Governor Soludo and others that Onyendu’s current incarceration is not sanctioned by any law known to man, it is unconstitutional and affront to constitutional democracy and rule of law,” the statement added.
“Why should we be pleading with them to obey their own court orders directing for the unconditional release of Onyendu. It’s compelling and mandatory on their part to obey their own court orders,” IPOB said.
Credit: The Nigeria Lawyers