IPOB faults reasons jugde gave for denying Kanu bail
– Group says President Buhari is bias with Nnamdi Kanu’s case
– IPOB says it is being pushed to the wall
– Justice reportedly believes Kanu is a threat to national security
The United Kingdom branch of
the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has reacted to the bail judgment on its leader, Nnamdi Kanu.
The group, according to Vanguard, faulted the reasons given by Justice John Tsoho of the Abuja Federal High Court Abuja for not granting the bail application of the Radio Biafra director
Emma Nmezu and Dr Clifford Chukwuemeka Iroanya who issued a statement on behalf of the group said the justice had three reasons for the judgment.
The statement read: “The reasons according to him are, that Mazi Kanu was a threat to national security, secondly, that if released might commit the same offence again and thirdly, that there was a probability that Nnamdi Kanu might jump bail because he possessed dual citizenship.
“While the first and the third reasons are very clear, but unsustainable statements, we are at loss with the second reason and do not know exactly what the Hon. Justice meant by ‘might commit the same offense again’.
“To the best of our knowledge, Mazi Kanu has not even been tried in the court not to talk of being convicted, therefore, we do not understand the offence he was found guilty of committing and for which he will likely commit again if released, according to Hon. Justice Tsoho.
“Is it a possibility that the Hon. Justice Tsoho misspoke or that he never actually uttered this travesty of a statement. On the first reason adduced, we are yet to get detailed information on what the Judge meant by ‘threat to National Security’ because we know that Mazi Kanu is not associated with Boko Haram or any terrorist organization. Again we are pushed to believe that Hon. Justice Tsoho misspoke.
“We are however shocked on the third reason, to hear that a denial of bail will be based on the accused person’s dual citizenship, even though the Honourable Judge did not mention the other country to which Nnamdi Kanu is a citizen, we know he was referring to Britain.
“But we also know that there is extradition agreement between Nigeria and Britain and extraditing Mazi Kanu to Nigeria, should he flee to Britain will not be a problem for the Nigerian government,therefore, we conclude that the judgment of Hon. Justice Tsoho is inappropriate, biased, wrong, and must be overturned by an Appeal Court Judge.”
Emma Powerful, who is the publicity secretary for the Biafran group faulted the denial of bail to Kanu, saying that the entire south eastern Nigeria is being indirectly deprived of their right.
He said: “We are being pushed to the walls, our members who were engaged in peaceful protest in Aba, Abia state and Port Harcourt Rivers State were shot by the Army and taken to Military barracks in Afikpo Ebonyi state and Bori camp in rivers State with bullet wounds.
“The victims are undergoing torture and other inhuman treatments, as they bring them out every morning, torture and engage them in all manners of hard labours and ask them about their missing guns as if IPOB members carry guns.
“We do not carry guns and do not intent to carry in the nearest future, we are therefore calling on Amnesty International, all human rights organizations and the international community to prevail on the Nigerian government respect the rule of law and the orders of the courts, as at the last count our members arrested in Aba are 25 while those in Port Harcourt are 18 in number, totaling 43 people detained in the two Army barracks in Ebonyi and rivers States respectively.”
Reports emerged yesterday that Goran Sluiter, a lawyer at Dutch human rights legal firm Prakken d’Oliveira, filed the complaint with the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague on Friday, January 29 against President Buhari.
Speaking with journalists, Sluiter said that there has been “an intensification of violence and crimes committed against Biafrans since Mr Buhari became the Nigerian president.”
– IPOB says it is being pushed to the wall
– Justice reportedly believes Kanu is a threat to national security
Nnamdi Kanu in court during one of his trials. Photo: Yinka Adeparusi
the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has reacted to the bail judgment on its leader, Nnamdi Kanu.
The group, according to Vanguard, faulted the reasons given by Justice John Tsoho of the Abuja Federal High Court Abuja for not granting the bail application of the Radio Biafra director
Emma Nmezu and Dr Clifford Chukwuemeka Iroanya who issued a statement on behalf of the group said the justice had three reasons for the judgment.
The statement read: “The reasons according to him are, that Mazi Kanu was a threat to national security, secondly, that if released might commit the same offence again and thirdly, that there was a probability that Nnamdi Kanu might jump bail because he possessed dual citizenship.
“While the first and the third reasons are very clear, but unsustainable statements, we are at loss with the second reason and do not know exactly what the Hon. Justice meant by ‘might commit the same offense again’.
“To the best of our knowledge, Mazi Kanu has not even been tried in the court not to talk of being convicted, therefore, we do not understand the offence he was found guilty of committing and for which he will likely commit again if released, according to Hon. Justice Tsoho.
“Is it a possibility that the Hon. Justice Tsoho misspoke or that he never actually uttered this travesty of a statement. On the first reason adduced, we are yet to get detailed information on what the Judge meant by ‘threat to National Security’ because we know that Mazi Kanu is not associated with Boko Haram or any terrorist organization. Again we are pushed to believe that Hon. Justice Tsoho misspoke.
“We are however shocked on the third reason, to hear that a denial of bail will be based on the accused person’s dual citizenship, even though the Honourable Judge did not mention the other country to which Nnamdi Kanu is a citizen, we know he was referring to Britain.
“But we also know that there is extradition agreement between Nigeria and Britain and extraditing Mazi Kanu to Nigeria, should he flee to Britain will not be a problem for the Nigerian government,therefore, we conclude that the judgment of Hon. Justice Tsoho is inappropriate, biased, wrong, and must be overturned by an Appeal Court Judge.”
Emma Powerful, who is the publicity secretary for the Biafran group faulted the denial of bail to Kanu, saying that the entire south eastern Nigeria is being indirectly deprived of their right.
He said: “We are being pushed to the walls, our members who were engaged in peaceful protest in Aba, Abia state and Port Harcourt Rivers State were shot by the Army and taken to Military barracks in Afikpo Ebonyi state and Bori camp in rivers State with bullet wounds.
“The victims are undergoing torture and other inhuman treatments, as they bring them out every morning, torture and engage them in all manners of hard labours and ask them about their missing guns as if IPOB members carry guns.
“We do not carry guns and do not intent to carry in the nearest future, we are therefore calling on Amnesty International, all human rights organizations and the international community to prevail on the Nigerian government respect the rule of law and the orders of the courts, as at the last count our members arrested in Aba are 25 while those in Port Harcourt are 18 in number, totaling 43 people detained in the two Army barracks in Ebonyi and rivers States respectively.”
Reports emerged yesterday that Goran Sluiter, a lawyer at Dutch human rights legal firm Prakken d’Oliveira, filed the complaint with the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague on Friday, January 29 against President Buhari.
Speaking with journalists, Sluiter said that there has been “an intensification of violence and crimes committed against Biafrans since Mr Buhari became the Nigerian president.”
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