A member of the House of Representatives, Nkem Uzoma-Abonta, has condemned the Federal Government’s planned secret trail of the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, Mr. Nnamdi Kanu.
BIAFRA: Leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, Nnamdi Kanu (M), arrives the Federal High Court where he is facing treason and other charges in Abuja, yesterday. Photo: Gbemiga Olamikan. Uzoma-Abonta who represents Ukwa Federal Constituency of Abia State in an interview with Vanguard in Abuja, yesterday, also told the Federal Government to make efforts in tackling the economic recession in the country, saying that Nigerians were passing through acute starvation. On the secret trial of the IPOB leader, he said, “The law says that all trial should be in the open apart from juvenile. Even the military trials to large extent is done open. I think it may not be proper, it may not be very right to try him in secret. “Of course, we must all condemn sedition, we must all condemn incitement and unwholesome act to cause disunity in Nigeria but justice must be done and be seen to have been done. “The trial should be open, it should be seen to be open so that people will now see that they proved their case or they did not. It is more preferably to be an open trial while we look at what led to the agitation to address it so that we will be able to handle it in a way that it will not cause further agitation. “But I want to advise the Federal Government to handle that matter in a way that it will not raise further agitation. But all trials should be in open court.” Commenting on the state of the nation with regard to the current recession, Uzoma-Abonta who is the House of Representatives Committee Chairman on Petitions said, “The state of the nation is a worrisome issue to all of us particularly to the major stakeholders. There are no gain saying that as we went for the Christmas recess, we saw the impact of recession on Nigerians. “Nigerians are very hungry, there is absolute lack of food and want among the citizenry. It is almost an embarrassing situation that people now cannot boast of one square meal. The usual rice that people feast on this festive period disappeared, they were lacking. “Therefore, we think that the government should double efforts in seeing that Nigeria is returned at ease again and solutions must be found, all hands must be on deck so that the populace should be able to feed and be happy again. “As it is now, there is problem, acute starvation and except we do something serious, there will be problem. We need pure practical economic planning to ensure that Nigerians will eat. I am not talking about luxury, I am talking about the basic necessities.”
