The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has told the international community and Nigerian government that its leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu is a prisoner of conscience and has no case to answer.
The group descibed the continued prosecution of Kanu on charges bordering on treasonable felony and terrorism as a gross violation of his fundamental rights.
IPOB, in a statement in Abuja on Saturday by its media and publicity secretary, Emma Powerful, said the group was not only begging for mercy, but demanding for justice.
The statement read in part, “We call on Nigerians, the international community, and all lovers of justice to heed this clarion call: Mazi Nnamdi Kanu has no case to answer. The continued persecution of our leader is not only a gross violation of his fundamental rights but also an indictment of Nigeria’s judiciary, which has descended into a cesspool of judicial terrorism and criminal dereliction of duty.
“For too long, Nigerians have been misled by a false narrative propagated by the Nigerian state and its complicit media, claiming that Mazi Nnamdi Kanu faces charges of treason or terrorism.
“Let us set the record straight – the treasonable felony charges against our leader were struck out years ago when the former Attorney General, Abubakar Malami, realised the case was unwinnable. No treason was committed.
“The Nigerian state, in its desperation to silence the Biafran struggle, resorted to fabricating terrorism charges, despite the Federal High Court’s clear ruling that IPOB is a lawful organisation. This ruling was brazenly overturned through forum shopping by Malami, who secured a proscription order from Justice Kafarati’s court without granting IPOB the fair hearing guaranteed under Section 36 of Nigeria’s Constitution.
“This act alone exposes the Nigerian judiciary as a tool of oppression rather than a bastion of justice.”
The statement further described the stay of execution to overturn a valid judgment reached in a criminal trial that discharged and acquitted Kanu as abuse of judicial process.
IPOB insisted that the Nigerian government is desperate to silence its struggle resorted to fabrication of terrorism charges despite the Federal high courts clear ruling that the organization is a lawful organisation.
“Mazi Nnamdi Kanu is a prisoner of conscience, detained for his unwavering commitment to the self-determination of the Biafran people. The Nigerian state has no case against him. Should he ever take the stand to defend himself, the world will witness the unraveling of Nigeria’s façade of justice.
“IPOB is not begging for mercy; we demand justice. God Almighty, the ultimate witness to truth, stands with us.
“Under the leadership of our indomitable leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, wishes to address the persistent misinformation and judicial travesty surrounding his unlawful detention and prosecution.
“Most egregious is the unprecedented abuse of judicial process by Justice Tsammani and his co-panelists at the Court of Appeal. In a move that defies the principles of law and justice, they employed a civil procedure—stay of execution—to overturn a valid judgment reached in a criminal trial, a ruling that had discharged and acquitted Mazi Nnamdi Kanu.
“We urge Nigerians and the global community to study this law and recognize the hypocrisy of those who claim to uphold it while violating its very tenets.
“The Nigerian state’s obsession with persecuting Mazi Nnamdi Kanu has exposed its judiciary as a willing accomplice in a neo-colonial agenda to suppress the legitimate aspirations of the Biafran people. This persecution is not just an attack on one man but an assault on justice, truth, and the rule of law. Nigeria risks destroying whatever is left of its global reputation and reducing its judiciary to a laughingstock.
“Those encouraging the Tinubu regime to persist in this dangerous path do not wish Nigeria well. They underestimate the unyielding resolve and fanatical devotion of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu to the cause of Biafra.
“His courage, even in chains, as evidenced in videos of his interrogations by the DSS, stands as a testament to his unbreakable spirit and the righteousness of our cause.”
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