Biafra: Acting President Osinbajo Comes Under Intense Pressure as Kanu Appears in Court Today
A Pan Igbo group, Nzuko Umunna, led by former Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, Governor, Professor Charles Soludo yesterday, told Acting President Yemi Osinbajo to immediately release the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, Nnamdi Kanu, saying the federal government must obey court orders even when such orders appeared unpalatable.
This came as the group claimed Nigeria was becoming a failed state, despite having the potential to be one of the most prosperous nations on earth.
Other signatories to the statement, read by Prof. Soludo include; Profs. Chidi Odinkalu, Ebere Onwudiwe, Mr Law Mefor, Rev. Fr. Jude C.; Emeka Ugwu-Oju, Ferdinand Agu and Tony Nnadi. Others are Dr Sam Amadi, Mr Innocent Chukwuma, Collins Ugwu and Andy Wabali
Meanwhile, the court trial of the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra cum Director of Radio Biafra, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu is expected to continue on the 1st of March after the court’s swift postponement from February 10.
It should be recalled that the trial judge, Justice Binta Nyako of the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja, on January 12, suspended the proposed Federal government’s secret trial of the IPOB leader pending its determination of the “prima facie” suit filed by his defense counsel, Barrister Ifeanyi Ejiofor.
The suit which argument has been conducted before the court is challenging the competence of the charges levelled against Kanu and three other defendants which Barrister Ejiofor in his objection, described them as “empty, baseless, unfounded, and lack merit,” while praying the court to dismiss and quash the charges for lack of merit and on the other hand, discharge and acquit the defendants.
However, Justice Nyako, who hitherto ruled in December that witnesses would be allowed some degree of protection, is expected to deliver the ruling on the competence of the charges against the defendants come 1st March 2017.
All IPOB family members living in, and around Abuja and Abuja metropolis and indeed lovers of freedom are hereby enjoined to show solidarity to our leader Nnamdi Kanu and the other eminent Biafrans standing trial at the Federal High court Abuja on the 1st of March, 2017.
Dasuki Gate: Court rules on FG’s fresh request to shield witnesses March 1
On a similar precedent, the Abuja High Court under Justice Ahmed Mohammed on January 31, also adjourned till March 1 to rule on a fresh application by the Federal government seeking to shield the identity of witnesses scheduled to testify against the detained former National Security Adviser, NSA, Col. Sambo Dasuki (retd).
The Federal government in the application is praying the court to allow the witnesses use acronyms in place of their real names. Moving the application, the Prosecution counsel, Mr. Dipo Okpeseyi, SAN, suggested that the witnesses be only identified with alphabets such as “XYZ.”
Dasuki is currently facing a 4-count charge before the court bordering on money laundering and his alleged illegal possession of firearms.
