Biafra
Biafra: FG set to try Kanu in absentia, as his whereabouts remains unkown
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| Nnamdi Kanu |
ABUJA – The Federal Government may try the embattled leader of the proscribed Indegeniuos People of Biafra, IPOB, Mr. Nnamdi Kanu, in absentia, Vanguard learnt on Monday.
Kanu was billed to appear before trial Justice Binta Nyako to be re-arraigned on an amended five count charge marked FHC/ABJ/CR/383/2015, alongside three other pro-Biafra agitators- Chidiebere Onwudiwe, Benjamin Madubugwu, David Nwawuisi and Bright Chimezie.
However, Kanu’s whereabouts has remained unkown, a development that has placed his sureties, including a serving Senator, Enyinnaya Abaribe and a Jewish High Chief Priest, Immanuu El-Shalom, at risk of being sent to prison.
FG is prosecuting the defendants through the office of the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice.
Charges against them border mainly on criminal conspiracy and treasonable felony.
A member of the prosecuting team who spoke to Vanguard on Monday said FG was determined to proceed with the matter even if the IPOB leader failed to present himself before the court.
He said such practice was allowed, once it was proved that the defendant deliberately made himself unavailable for trial.
“It will not be the first time a defendant is tried in absentia. Take the case of a former Niger Delta militant, Mr. Tompolo for instance. When he refused to make himself available, FG proceeded to try him in absentia”, the lawyer who craved anonymity because he was not cleared to speak on matter added.
He maintained that under extant laws in the country, a defendant so tried, could still be convicted and made to face whatever penalty that was imposed by the court.
Kanu who is the 1st defendant, is facing four out of the five count amended charge.
READ ALSO: Biafra: What Will Happen To Kanu’s Sureties If He Refuse To Appear In Court On Tuesday
It will be recalled that Justice Nyako had in a ruling on April 25, released Kanu on bail after he had spent a year and seven months in detention, though the court okayed his co-defendants to remain in prison custody.
The court which stressed that it released Kanu on health ground, however compelled him to produce three sureties, including “a Jewish leader” and a “highly placed person of Igbo extraction”, who all deposited N100million each.
Both Abaribe who is representing Abia South Senatorial District, El-Shalom and a Chartered Accountant residing in Abuja, Mr. Tochukwu Uchendu, had on April 28, entered an undertaken to produce Kanu before the court to face his trial.
However, barely 17 hours to the scheduled trial, no one has heard from or seen the IPOB leader who has remained incommunicado since the Nigerian Military carried out its code-named Operation Python Dance II, in the South East, particularly in his state, Abia.
A source at the Justice Ministry had earlier disclosed to Vanguard that FG would on the slated trial date, not only move the court to revoke Kanu’s bail, but equally apply for a bench warrant to be issued against his three sureties.
“The position of the law is very clear to the effect that when a defendant jumps bail, his surety is made to pay for the offence upon which the trial was based. It is there in the Administration of Criminal Justice Act.
“If for any reason Kanu fails to submit himself for trial on October 17, we will have no other option than to apply for immediate arrest of all his three sureties. We will move the trial court to issue a bench warrant against them.
“We have their full details, and don’t forget that they were made to sign an undertaken by the court before the defendant was released on bail”, he added.
Kanu’s lead counsel, Mr. Ifeanyi Ejiofor, had in a telephone interview with Vanguard, insisted he does not know the whereabouts of his client.
Ejiofor said his only contact with the IPOB leader was on September 14, few minutes before the Nigerian Army “invaded” his (Kanu’s) hometown.
He said that Kanu called him on phone, complaining that he was under attack from soldiers that were deployed to his compound by FG.
Ejiofor who said he would not be surprised if FG decides to move against those that stood surety for his client, maintained that the burden was on the prosecution to produce Kanu in court on the adjourned date.
“The fact is that they are in a position to produce him at the next adjourned date. It is public knowledge that my client had before his house was invaded, always made himself available for trial.
“He never evaded trial as he made it known that he was ready. If he wanted to jump bail, he would have done so immediately he was released from prison. But he did not run.
“The last time I spoke with my client was the day his house was invaded by soldiers. He called me and complained that he was being attacked by soldiers who he said were shooting sporadically. since then, I have not heard from my client again.
“If he is alive, they should tell the court on that day. They will not only explain to the trial court, but will also produce the soldiers that went to his home to attack him”, Ejiofor added.
Meantime, investigations by Vanguard revealed that the case may not actually proceed on Tuesday, as the trial Judge was said to be out of jurisdiction on an “important government assignment”.
Justice Nyako is currently heading a team ot Judges that were selected by FG to conduct the trial of over 1,600 Boko Haram suspects at Kainji detention facility in Niger state.
Kanu’s lawyer, Mr. Ejiofor has already filed a separate suit, asking the High Court in Abuja to compel the Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Tukur Buratai, to produce his client in court on Tuesday, dead or alive.
Ejiofor told the court that he has not seen or heard from his client since the “Nigerian Army invaded the Applicant’s house on a murderous raid, where life and mortar bullets were fired on unarmed and defenseless populace, leaving 28 persons dead and abducting many”.
Pursuant to section 40 of the Federal High Court Act, F12, LFN 2005 and section 6(6) (1) (4) of the 1999 constitution, as amended, Kanu’s lawyers applied for “an order of Habeas Corpus ad subjiciendum, commanding the Respondent, to produce the Applicant in Court”.
In a supporting affidavit that was deposed by one Prince Mandela Umegborogu, the deponent said he was told by Kanu’s younger brother, Emmanuel, that on September 12, “Soldiers of Nigerian Army, numbering about 200 ( two hundred) fully armed to the teeth invaded the residential home of the Applicant in Afarauwku- Ibeku, Umuahia, in Abia State”.
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According to the affidavit, “On the 12th September, 2017, the Nigeria Military Soldiers acting under express command handed down by the Respondent, violently invaded the Applicant’s home in Afara-ukwu Ibeku, Umuahia Abia State, wherein scores of his relative were brutally wounded and many killed.
“On 14th day of September, 2017, the Nigerian Military led by Soldiers of the Nigerian Army invaded the Applicant’s house on a murderous raid, where life and mortar bullets were fired on unarmed and defenseless populace, leaving 28 persons dead and abducting many.
“The Applicant who was in the house during this bloody onslaught by the Soldiers, has not been heard from or seen after this bloody attack in his home by the Agents of the Respondent since the 14th day of September 2017.
“That the invading Soldiers in their desperate bid to ensure that the Applicant is caught in the attack climbed stairs to his bedroom upstairs to shot him; walls of his bedroom were riddled with bullets.
“The invading Soldiers who had direct contact with the Applicant on this fateful day (14th day of September 2017) should be in a position to produce the Applicant before the court. It is either the Respondent’s rampaging Soldiers abducted the Applicant during this raid or must have killed him in the process”.
Kanu had prior to the Army operation, prayed the trial court to vary some of his bail conditions which he said were directly in conflict with his constitutionally guaranteed fundamental human rights and therefore ought to be set-aside.
As part of his conditions for bail, Kanu who was arrested upon his return to Nigeria from the United Kingdom on October 14, 2015, was expressly barred by the court from attending any rally or granting any form of interview.
“I must stress it here that the defendant must not attend any rally. He must not be in a crowd exceeding 10 persons”, the Judge warned.
The court insisted that the IPOB leader must sign an undertaken to make himself available for trial at all times.
He was equally ordered to surrender his Nigerian and British international passports.
Aside challenging the variation request, FG, in a fresh application it filed on August 25, applied for Kanu’s bail to be revoked.
It predicated the application on section 169 and 173(2) of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, 2015.
Describing the IPOB leader as a threat to national security, FG alleged that he engaged in several acts it said were capable of sparking civil unrest and anarchy in the country.
It specifically applied for an order “directing the arrest and committing of the 1st defendant to custody pending trial”.
FG had among other things, alleged that Kanu, his co-defendants and other persons still at large, had “on diverse dates in 2014 and 2015 in Nigeria and London, United Kingdom, did conspire amongst yourselves to broadcast on Radio Biafra monitored in Enugu and other areas within the jurisdiction of this honourable court, preparations being made by you and others at large, for states in the South-East and South-South zones and other communities in Kogi and Benue States to secede from the Federal Republic of Nigeria with a view to constituting same into a Republic of Biafra and you thereby committed an offence punishable under section 516 of the Criminal Code Act, Cap C38 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2000”.
READ ALSO: Binta Nyako Blast Army: Produce Nnamdi Kanu Before Court Or I Will Hands Up His Case
It told the court that Kanu had “on or about the 28th April, 2015 in London, United Kingdom did in a broadcast on Radio Biafra monitored in Enugu, Enugu state and other parts of Nigeria within the jurisdiction of this honourable court, referred to Major General Muhammadu Buhari, GCON, President and Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as a paedophile, a terrorist, an idiot and an embodiment of evil, knowing same to be false and you thereby committed an offence contrary to section 375 of the Criminal Code Act, Cap C. 38 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004”.
Source: Vanguard
Biafra
Tinubu Refused To Honour Our Agreement To Release Nnamdi Kanu After Election– Kanu’s Brother
Disclosing that the meeting had the blessing of the president, Emmanuel, however, lamented that Tinubu has refused to honour the pact by releasing his elder brother and the IPOB leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu from the DSS dungeon in Abuja, Nigeria.
Emmanuel Kanu, younger brother of the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, Nnamdi Kanu, has said they had an agreement with President Bola Tinubu for the release of his elder brother, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu.
Emmanuel disclosed that he had the pact with Tinubu’s son, Seyi, in Abuja before the 2023 presidential election.
Disclosing that the meeting had the blessing of the president, Emmanuel, however, lamented that Tinubu has refused to honour the pact by releasing his elder brother and the IPOB leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu from the DSS dungeon in Abuja, Nigeria.
According to him, it was agreed that IPOB would not bycott the polls on the condition that Tinubu would release Kanu if elected President.
Prince Emmanuel expressed disappointment that nearly two years after the emergence of Tinubu as President, his brother (Kanu), has continued to languish in detention despite the fact that the presiding Judge, Justice Binta Nyako, had since recused herself from the matter.
He said it was disappointing that those who claimed to be honourable, failed to keep their words.
The statement read:”Before the last election, I received a message from an ex-governor that Seyi the son of President Tinubu wanted to see me. I agreed to meet with him on the condition that the overriding priority and hence the fulcrum of our discussion will be the release of my brother. The meeting was held in Abuja in the presence of another individual whom I asked along to witness the deliberations and if need be provide independent verification should the need arise.
“Seyi confirmed to me that his father sanctioned the meeting and that I should consider any agreement we reach as binding on the then candidate Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
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“In good faith we agreed that I shall relay the outcome to my brother to reinforce the long held tradition of IPOB not interfering with the conduct of elections, either through boycott or any other form of civil disobedience. This understanding was duly communicated to my brother and he reaffirmed his commitment not to stop the elections or order any boycott.
“When President Tinubu as a candidate visited Owerri during his campaign, he too reiterated his commitment to facilitate the release of my brother if elected. We took his public statement as a tacit reaffirmation of the understanding I reached with his son Seyi.
“At the end, IPOB did not call for election boycott despite having the capacity to do so. IPOB also made sure that discordant voices urging election boycott were overcome because election boycotts would not reflect well on the reputation of a global movement that prides itself on adherence to democratic tenets.
“It therefore, defies logic that nearly two years after President Tinubu assumed the mantle of leadership in Nigeria, my brother is still in detention despite not having any charge against him. It’s been over three months now that Justice Binta Nyako recused herself from the case yet no new judge has been assigned the case.
“This is on top of the fact that Appeal Court had earlier discharged him of the sham charges and ordered his release which the previous regime of Buhari declined to obey.
“Supreme Court determination that his bail ought not to have been revoked has been ignored by the courts and the government. The latest insult is that Abuja courts of all persuasion are no longer willing to determine the case of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu on merit but are rather relying on ludicrous and inapplicable technicalities to stall the timely determination of his cases.
“The truth is that Nigerian courts cannot, will not and do not have both the substantive and procedural jurisdiction to try him. His detention is without the backing of any known law in Nigeria or elsewhere in the world.”
The recent 90th birthday tributes to the Nigeria’s Former Head of State, who led Nigeria to war in defence of its unity against the young Biafra Republic between 1967-1970, General Yakubu Gowon, have attracted various reactions, condemnations and affirmations across the country.
The Presidential candidate of the Labour Party in the 2023 presidential election, Mr. Gregory Peter Obi, was among other Nigerians who wrote glowing tributes to the Former Nigeria’s Head of State who presided over what is adjudged as the second worst genocide in world’s history, after the Hitler’s Holocaust against the Jews in Nazi Germany.
Below is the full read of Mr. Peter Obi’s tribute:
“I am privileged to join other Nigerians of goodwill to celebrate a highly respected leader and former Head of State, General Yakubu Gowon, on his 90th birthday anniversary.
“In a time of hate, you stood for love. At a time of strife, you stood for peace. At a time of division, you stood for unity.
“Your life of service to our great nation, Nigeria, stand as one of sacrifice, leadership, and unity.
“Your steadfast commitment to preserving the peace and sovereignty of Nigeria during a challenging period in our history will forever be remembered and revered.
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“Your exemplary leadership and statesmanship remain an inspiration to younger and many generations of Nigerians.
“As we celebrate this milestone, I pray that God continues to grant you good health, wisdom, and the grace of true fruitfulness.
“May your legacy continue to guide us as we strive to build a more united, prosperous, and just Nigeria.
“Happy 90th birthday, Sir. -PO”
However, BARR Malcolm OMIRHOBO reacted in contrast to the glowing tributes accolades given to the Former military ruler, blaming the war of aggression led by Gowon against Biafra on his “poor and weak leadership style, youthful exuberance and immaturity.”
Barr. Malcolm accused Gen. Yakubu Gowon of “refusal, failure or negligence to stop the senseless killings of Igbos and their look alike throughout Nigeria, especially in the North, by civilians and members of the armed forces.”
The outspoken lawyer also accused Gen. Gowon of refusing the Aburi Accord without any good reason.
Full read of his reaction:
“It is not true that South-East desire to secede that led to the Nigeria/Biafra War but rather it was Gowon’s poor and weak leadership style, colonial mentality, youthful exuberance and immaturity that led to the Nigerian /Biafran war.
“Gowon refused , failed and/or neglected to stop the senseless killing of the Igbos and their look alikes through out Nigeria especially in the North by civilians and members of the armed forces .
“He refused to provide funds to the Eastern Region Government to cater for the injured and displaced Igbos that ran to their home land for safety from all parts of Nigeria .
*Gowon without any good reason refused the Aburi Accord .
“For the records the Igbo fought in self defence.”
In response to Mr. Peter Obi’s tribute to General Yakubu Gowon, DR. MO (MOSES PAUL) wrote this:
“As usual, I called Mr. Peter Obi after seeing some of the responses to the tweet on Daddy Gowon, and I said, “Some people are not happy, Sir.”
“Mr. @PeterObi responded, “Mo, I have always told you, never to dwell on yesterday, to agonize over it, or remain unforgiving. We cannot be trapped by the events of the past. Instead, we must be grateful to God for today and look forward to tomorrow with hope.”
“I understand the negative comments, and I deeply regret the painful history that took place over 50 years ago, though I know little firsthand, only what I have been told. It is a sad chapter for many, including my own family. My father, unfortunately, lost his thriving business during that period and passed away, which remains a deep personal loss for me.”
“My comment today, however, was about General Gowon’s removal from office and the grace with which he has handled those difficult events. It wasn’t about the war itself. The focus was on the life he has led since his removal, and his remarkable ability to remain prayerful and steadfast in his commitment to Nigeria.”
“When I was governor, he visited my state, and we spoke as father and son. He even led a national prayer for Nigeria in my state. Our discussions were never about the war—we spoke about the future of Nigeria, and his concern was always for the country’s progress, not his past or the people who removed him from office.”
“PO Mr @PeterObi has always shared with me his deep respect and personal closeness to ‘Ikemba’ Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu. He regarded Ojukwu as a true hero, someone whose leadership and vision he admired greatly. @PeterObi’s loyalty to Ojukwu was resolute until his last days, and he took it upon himself to ensure that Ojukwu received a befitting burial, one that remains unmatched to this day, honoring his legacy with the dignity it deserved.”
“Mr. @PeterObi’s commitment goes beyond personal ties; he is determined to see a future that works for everyone. His vision for Nigeria is one of unity and progress, where the mistakes of the past do not hold us back or divide us. Instead, he believes in learning from history and building a better and greater future for generations to come.”
“Mo, tell me, is there any nation today that hasn’t faced civil war? From America to Great Britain, many have painful histories of war, yet they are not trapped by the past. Instead, they have forgiven, not forgotten, and used that healing to build successful futures.”
“People need to be closer to PO to truly understand how forgiving and loving he is. He is always looking ahead, desperately focused on building a better and greater future for all Nigerians irespective or tribe and religion and most importantly for the generations to come.”
-DrMo
Biafra
Uchechi Okwu-Kanu Showers Praises On Herself, Reveals What She Told Her Husband
“I constantly told my husband that anyone who spews hate on your children and wife hates you. Period!”
The wife of the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Mrs. Uchechi Okwu-Kanu, has showered praises on herself, expressing her qualities as she wrote on Facebook, highlighting challenges and what she told her husband, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu.
Uchechi, who was referencing a post made by someone “about protecting ‘me'” (her), stated that she doesn’t blow her trumpets “even in competition.”
Her choice of words and written expressions reveals deeper sense of hurt in the heart, outright self validation and defense, hopes of victory and taunting of the perceived foes of her family amongst others.
She described herself as a “one-man squad, “Virgo” a “Full Moon Virgo” and “one of the most powerful “Empaths you will ever encounter.”
Uchechi, whose husband, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, is still being incarcerated in the DSS Headquarters in Abuja following his extra-ordinary rendition from Kenya to Nigeria in June 2021, said that she is a “warrior” despite the fact that her husband is not “helping out in the family front.”
She pointed out that she had constantly told her husband (Mazi Nnamdi Kanu) that “those who spew hate on his children and wife” hates him.
Mrs. Okwu-Kanu emphatically said that she warned her husband of “these workers of iniquity but hey, we are where we are now.”
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Below is the full read:
“I just saw a post yesterday about protecting me but it eluded me before I could re-post it.
I am not vain, I do not blow my trumpets even in competitions!
“I just move in my aura of grace.
I am a #Virgo, a #FullMoonVirgo, and one of the powerful #Empaths you will ever encounter. I am that woman who walks into a room and every unconscious mind becomes conscious.
“The unconscious morons should study on the above hashtags first. Then I will go ahead to outline what my ‘personalities’ are about and who I am. They will write a full book on just one personality.
“My academic background and what I have achieved in my career journey over the years is not for show off.
“The things I do in my day to day life despite the challenges of not having my husband helping out in the family front, is what makes me a #Warrior.
“I work hard so I can look after widows and helpless children. I run an educational charity in the Sub-Sahara Africa for pupils from Nursery 1 – Primary 6 from my light-weight personal purse.
Everyday, I lift one or two people out from a place of pain, oppression, darkness and confusion through coaching and guidance. People learn consciousness and #ArtofLiving from me, everyday.
“Thank you my brother for that post and thank you all for standing by me. That’s the love you have for #NnamdiKanu.
“All my life, I’ve always fought for the oppressed & for myself.
“I am what ‘you know as one man squad’ – physically, psychologically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually.
“I fight for the oppressed women, men, and children especially. And all my life, no individual has ever fought me without gathering a group.
“Some would bring their cousins, their ancestors, even their own enemies to fight me yet, Uchechigeme Anyanwụụtụtụ Okwu-Kanu has always stood tall in the presence of her enemies!
Ọkara mádu , ọkara nmuo! She who is of the waters, the Earth, the Sun and feeds off the Air. She who understands the rythym of the spirit dance called Sụrụgedé; she who understands the connotations of the 4 cardinal points of the earth, firmed within the 4 elements of the universe and the 4 market days of her Indigenous existence!
“I warned my husband of all these workers of iniquities but hey, we are where we are now!
But one thing they must understand is that their tittle-tattle is the absolute projection of their inadequacies, what they truly are and represent.
“I have a pending topic on the spiritual, psychological and emotional damage/impact of a mother’s adultery on their children and individual life of promiscuity – the reason these muppets are these damaged!
“I constantly told my husband that anyone who spews hate on your children and wife hates you. Period!
“I have never written about myself as this phase is not about me. At least, not yet.
“Those who sounded just like them in 2014 – 2017 eventually returned to the gutters where they came from. Some went into TV productions and talk shows. Ndị uchu!
“I am busy, fighting for the release of my husband #FreeNnamdiKanu and have no time to pay mind to these imbeciles who came from the lowest strata of the gutters. The lowest of the lows.
“People who are lower than the belly of a snake!
I am an Eagle, I soar high above mediocrity, pugnacity, impetuosity, impertinence and carnality. That is why none of you can keep your pained frustrations to yourselves.
“But like the snake you are, I will never come down to your harmattan taunted postern. I can never play in the mud with pigs because I abhor dirt.
“Rather, I will swoop down like the Eagle and take you to my realm. Swirl you 7 times and release you from the Air.
“My name is, Aha m bụ – Uchechigeme Anyanwụụtụtụ Okwu-Kanu.
“I speak ‘consciousness’, for that, is the #ArtofLiving.
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