Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of
Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and Director of Radio Biafra was abducted
from his hotel room in Ikeja, Lagos, in British-Nigeria on Wednesday, 14th
day of October, 2015, and has continued to be in Nigeria’s custody despite
three subsisting magistrate court orders granting him bail; as well as a higher
court ruling acquitting him on all charges of “terrorism.”
Having failed to show the courts any legal
justification for arresting the IPOB leader, President Buhari’s secrete police disregarded the court rulings,
and further arbitrarily charged Kanu with “Treasonable felony.” In a conversation with the Nigerian press, President
Buhari asserted that “Kanu committed heinous atrocities against this country”
in a meddlesome attempt to coerce the judiciary to persecute Mr. kanu. He
has vowed not to release Kanu claiming that he would “jump bail.” He has found
Kanu guilty until proven guilty.
Mr. Kanu’s precipitous rise to prominence, and
subsequent ongoing persecution, results
from his knack for truth telling, and vociferous exposure of the inhumanity and
wickedness of British-Nigeria via radio Biafra educational programs. Background At first, Kanu was kidnapped
from his hotel room (by enforced disappearance) until Radio Biafra blew the
whistle as soon as the plot to kill Mr. Kanu was leaked; by then he had
disappeared for four days without any word from the Department of State
Services (DSS, Buhari’s alter ego and tool for tyranny).
Now confused because the genie was out of the
bottle, DSS quickly arraigned and charged Kanu on October 19, 2015 with
criminal conspiracy (for vociferously seeking to be free from marginalization,
extermination and Islamization), intimidation (for exposing evil doers), and
belonging to unlawful association (for teaching and organizing his people to
overcome the evil that British-Nigeria portends for them)—these charges are
“heinous crimes” according to President Buhari.
Buhari declared total commitment to the full
implementation of Sharia in British-Nigeria. He said that attacking Boko Haram
terrorists was tantamount to attacking Muslim North, and many such outbursts. Buhari is an actual Biafra war criminal and a genocidist.
During Kanu’s initial arraignment, bail was set
at N2 million Naira ($10, 000 USD), plus production of a level 16 civil servant
with landed property in Abuja as surety. The bail conditions were met, but Buhari defied the magistrate
court ruling and three additional court orders to free Mr. Kanu on bail. Instead, the DSS surreptitiously extracted,
behind Kanu’s counsels back, by use of an affidavit, an ex-parte order
(temporary order) from the Federal High Court to further detain Mr. Kanu for
addition 90 days to enable them “investigate thoroughly.”
Since none of the initial charges produced the
intended outcome, DSS decided to shut their eyes and upgrade to full
“terrorism”; If that fails, and it failed, then “Treasonable Felony!”
Kanu’s counsel filed another motion seeking to
enforce previous court orders. Realizing that the court’s hands may be tied by
rule of law, Buhari’s alter ego DSS quickly brought a counter motion asking the
trial magistrate to recuse himself on the ground that he lacked jurisdiction on
charges of terrorism; and simultaneously superimposed the underhanded “ex-parte
order” to detain Kanu for additional 90 days, thus flouting the existing
Magistrate Court orders.
The next hearing was then set by the Abuja High
Court for Thursday, December 17, 2015 whereat the Court found that the
continued detention of Mr. Kanu was illegal,
and that the charges brought against him had no merit, and accordingly,
acquitted Kanu of all charges.
Prior to
the acquittal, DSS had attempted, on October 23, and November 18 consecutively,
to truncate the due process with their usual impunity by going to court without
the defendant. Mr. Obeta, Kanu’s former
counsel objected and the judge affirmed that the defendant must be present
before further hearing. Questions about Kanu’s whereabouts raised suspicion
that they had murdered him. It is widely understood that British-Nigerian typically
murder high profile prisoners in their custody with impunity.
The first judge to entertain the “treasonable
felony” charges was too embarrassed by the apparent witch hunting and quickly
recused himself as soon as the defendant objected citing lack of confidence
because subsisting court rulings were not obeyed.
Note that every new date presupposes an
‘adjournment’ from the previous court date.
On February 9th, court resumed, only
this time with the government prosecutors requesting that government witnesses
against Mr. Kanu be allowed to wear masks in court or testify in secret. This
ought not to surprise you because many innocent Biafrans, as well as
northerners who narrowly escaped massacre of more than 1000 Shiite Muslims by
Nigerian Army are languishing in jail without charges or due process.
Kanu’s counsel argued that government
prosecutors wishes to use materials from the dismissed terrorism charges to
seek considerations for “treasonable felony”—a totally different ball game; and
that “Prosecution cannot accuse his clients in public and seek to try them in
secret.” As usual, court was yet again
adjourned until the 8th day of March with Kanu still incarcerated
through it all.
Justice Tsoha
however sided with the defendants and denied motion to mask witnesses. Whether the judge will show fidelity to
the law is yet to be seen, because denying Kanu bail and citing Buhari’s public
sentiments is suspect. Mr. Kanu will likely never get a fair trial under this
judge or any other as long as Buhari is president.
It is clear that a travesty has been wheeled into motion. Again, Kanu is guilty
until proven guilty. Kanu and his legal team must not consent to this charade.
He is better of boycotting the court because there is no chance that he will
get a fair trial in a Nigerian Court. Moreover, by her international treaties,
Nigeria has no power to try Nnamdi Kanu for exercising rights that are ratified under
the United Nations Human Rights Commission, and UN Charter on the Rights of
Indigenous Peoples which Nigeria is cosignatory. It is worrisome for UN, and
relevant world bodies to remain silent as Nigeria brazenly flaunts
international law, treaties, and human rights.
obliterate
every infrastructure in Biafraland, and marginalize Biafrans. Biafrans have
endured genocide of 3.5 million for the sake of crude oil, greed, jealousy, and
are still daily being killed by Nigerian forces, and hitherto facing
existential threats posed by Islamic terror expansionism. Nnamdi Kanu therefore is absolutely within
his human rights, national rights, and international conventions on human
rights to establish Radio Biafra, and speak out in defense of his people—who
are clearly marked for annihilation.
Another Massacre!
While Mr. Kanu was being arraigned in Court on
February 9, a group of Biafrans, who deliberately steered away from the motor
roads to avoid trouble gathered at a school, praying and singing praises to God
for Kanu’s victory. As they sang, a squad of Nigerian Army and Police arrived
and began surrounding the crowd the same way members of Shiite movement were
surrounded in Zaria before the massacre. Then, without provocation, the army
open fire killing 22 Biafrans; wounding more than 30 others, and abducting more
than 100. Thirteen of the abducted or wounded
Biafrans were later found dead, doused with a certain chemical which disfigures
and shrinks their bodies, and then dumped in a shallow grave at Aba Borrow Pit.
Amnesty international
visited the mass grave scene at Aba, and later proclaimed that it has
“documented more than 20,000 incidents of extra
judicial killings in Nigeria.” See video of the Aba Massacre: https://goo.gl/H1Sbkt
Prior to Mr. Kanu’s abduction, British-Nigeria
government massacred 100’s of Biafrans who were peaceably evangelizing for the
independence at Port-Harcourt, Aba, Onitsha, and Enugu. But make no mistake,
immediately Buhari returned to power, the brazen and wanton killing, massacre,
enforced disappearance, mass abduction, and incarceration of Biafran protesters
irrefutably intensified.
Curiously
however, high profile Boko Haram suspects, and military officials who were
either once in custody or dismissed on suspicion of allegiance to Boko Haram
under the previous president have mostly been either released or reinstated by
Buhari. But Mr. Kanu who has never taken a life or plotted a coup has been in
custody without trial for 132 days as at Feb 23, 2016 and counting.
Here
are few pictures of Biafran Protesters killed since Buhari became president.
Scroll to pages 20-25. Or http://goo.gl/r2bkDJ
Conclusion
War will breakout if Nigerian forces continue
massacring unarmed protesters. The trial of Mr. Kanu is the height of
illegality and impunity. Nigerian Army and Police have killed more than 200
defenseless Biafrans for seeking freedom. By the 1969 genocide, her forcible
occupation, ongoing massacres, and marginalization, Nigeria proves beyond
reasonable doubt that the people of Biafra do not belong in Nigeria. It is
abundantly clear that Nigeria has no moral justification or legitimacy to
remain as a state or forcibly occupy Biafra. Only an independent state of
Biafra will safeguard the life of Biafrans and end the endless spate of
violence and progressive genocide against Biafrans.
By Ndubuisi Anukwuem
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