•Incarcerated IPOB leader, Nnamdi Kanu and his lawyers
The American Military Veterans of Igbo Descent has urged Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court in Abuja to remain absolutely impartial in the trial of the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, in the terrorism charges filed against him by the federal government.
The group insisted that Kanu is a prisoner of conscience and should not be put on trial by the federal government, as he has not committed any crime, reports Nigerian Tribune.
Kanu is scheduled to be arraigned before the judge on Friday, 21 March, over alleged terrorism charges filed against him by the federal government.
In a statement issued in Abuja today, the group recalled Kanu’s “extraordinary rendition from Kenya to Nigeria by the government, as well as his alleged unlawful detention in the Nigerian DSS dungeon.”
They also highlighted various court judgments in Kanu’s favour that have not been implemented by the Federal Government.
The statement, released in Abuja, was jointly signed by the group’s President, Dr Sylvester Onyia; Rising Sun President, Chief Dede Maxwell; and Ambassadors for Self-Determination President, Chief Engr Evans Nwankwo.
It reads in part: “The American Military Veterans of Igbo Descent (AVID), in conjunction with the Rising Sun and the Ambassadors for Self-Determination, all located in the Continental United States (CONUS), have meticulously monitored the trajectory of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu’s subjugation in Nigerian security.
“Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of IPOB, has not committed any crime. We are aware of his extraordinary rendition from Kenya to Nigeria, as well as his unlawful detention in the Nigerian DSS dungeon. We are aware of various court judgments in his favour that have not been implemented.
“In July 2022, the United Nations Human Rights Council (through a landmark opinion issued by its working group) stated that the appropriate remedy would be for the Government of Nigeria to release Kanu immediately and accord him an enforceable right to compensation and other reparations, in accordance with international law.
“In December 2023, the Supreme Court of Nigeria held that it was wrong to have revoked Mazi Nnamdi Kanu’s bail, meaning that his bail should be restored by virtue of Section 287(1) of the Constitution.
“Based on documented judicial underpinnings, we collectively express disappointment in the handling of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu’s case. Since he was acquitted by the courts, we wonder why the government is still trying to prosecute him. He has no case to answer. We demand his immediate and unconditional release now.
“We extend caution to Justice James Omotosho regarding Mazi Nnamdi Kanu’s safety, and we stand our ground, declaring that a rapist must not try his victim.
“Justice James Omotosho should not make the mistake of forgetting that Mazi Nnamdi Kanu’s case was inherited by President Tinubu’s administration, with the awareness that you cannot pile illegality atop illegality when the entire world is watching,” the statement added.
