The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has picked holes in the continued detention of its leader, Nnamdi Kanu, even when he had been purportedly released.
Kabiru Umar, popularly known as Kabiru Sokoto, who was sentenced to life imprisonment for mass murder in 2013.
The group wondered why government was keeping Kanu in custody when he had been granted bail by the court.
It noted that Justice Adeniyi Ademola convicted and sentenced Kabiru on December 20, 2013 for masterminding the 2011 Christmas Day bombing of Theresa’s Catholic Church at Madala in Niger State where over 44 persons were killed and 75 others injured.
A statement by its Spokespersons, Emma Nmezu and Dr. Clifford Chukwuemeka Ironya, IPOB yesterday claimed most of the dead and injured were Biafrans.
“It added: Now, President Muhammadu Buhari has used his presidential powers and authority to release Kabiru Sokoto, the terrorist and mass murderer.
“On the other hand, Kanu, our leader was abducted in Lagos by agents of Department of State Services (DSS) on October 14, 2015, arraigned at the Magistrate’s Court and later at the High Court on frivolous charges.
“On both occasions, the presiding magistrate and judge struck out the cases and ordered that Mr. Kanu be released unconditionally. Up to this moment, those court orders have not been obeyed and challenged by the DSS.
“What is the rationale behind Buhari’s preference for the freedom of a terrorist and mass murderer over compliance with the rulings of courts of competent jurisdictions?”
The group had recently alleged that the DSS, Abuja headquarters placed the names of Kanu’s wife and 38 other IPOB members and Biafrans on a wanted list.
A statement by the group’s spokesperson, Emma Powerful, alleged that the Federal Government and DSS were trailing unarmed members of IPOB including the wife of their leader, Mrs. Uchechi Okwu Kanu, who is in London nursing a new born baby.
IPOB wondered why its members were arrested while the Fulani terrorists who disguise as cattle rearers were not touched or harmed. According to IPOB, those on wanted list include: Mrs. Uchechi Kanu (Nnamdi Kanu’s wife, London, UK), Emma Powerful, Sunday Onyekachi, Ogechukwu Obiorah, Ann Okafor, Amaechi Sunday Kaju (Sheffield, UK), Dickson Ekeke, Ndidi Ojukwu, Emma Nmezu, Sidney Okoli (Mallorca, Spain), Andy Obeche, Ifriam Ezeiwu, Chkwuemeka Mfon and Ikenna Sunday Egono. Others are Chijioke Ekwueme, Godwin Osinachi, Udoka Amarachi (Dortmund, Germany), Uche Martin Doludo, Nduka Enuma, Ambrose Ero, Clifford Mbamere, Andy Obina Okafor, Stephen Oko (UK), Onyeka Joseph, Eric, Dike Benson, Uche Okafor, Daniel Ifeanyi (USA), Roland Abumere, Kenneth Uche Opara, Emenike Anyanwu, Obinwanne Markson Chukwujekwu, Chukwu I. Ojiugo, Ezinwanne Mba, and Jeff Amaechi among others.
“We are calling on international community, human right organisations, Amnesty International, America, Russia, France, Germany, China, Japan Israel and other countries of the world who love freedom, Human Right Watch, the Christian community and the United Nations (UN) to come to our rescue because the Nigerian government and security agents have perfected arrangements to kidnap and kill unarmed civilians who committed no crime against the government of Nigeria and humanity,” IPOB said.
Meanwhile, the Summit Club of Asaba, a Non-Governmental Organisation, has dissociated the people of the Delta State capital from the call for the establishment of a sovereign state of Biafra.
In a statement by its President, Prof. Fidelis Njokanma and National Secretary, Chinedu Onyia, the group stated that it has become necessary to make their position known on the impression being created by the Movement for the Actualization of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB) and IPOB that Asaba was part of the agitation for Biafra.
In May this year, the agitators for secession crossed the Niger Bridge to stage a demonstration in Asaba, which resulted in a violent clash with the police and soldiers.
The group observed that Ahaba was never consulted on the issue of the agitation for Biafra, stressing that they never expressed any desire to be part of the call for secession from Nigeria.
Emphasizing that any person or group of persons would not conscript Ahaba into a struggle, the club said the people do not subscribe to the motives and methods of the agitators.
The group which stated that it would reject any attempt to make Ahaba a battleground, remarked that its people were prepared to defend their inalienable rights to freedom or association.
The body urged the Delta government to take advantage of security reports and apparatus to preempt any incursion by the agitators into the state in the future.
The club noted that the state government must demonstrate its ability to appy the full weight of the law and its willingness to deploy law enforcement agencies to deal decisively with any future occurrences.
