By Polycarp Ifeanyi
The Abia State chapter of the Congress of Civil Society Groups has appealed to the Nigerian president, Muhammadu Buhari, to release the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, from the Department of State Services’ (DSS) detention facility.
A group in a statement signed by its coordinator, Comrade Damian Ogudike, and made available to newsmen alleged that the detention of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu is illegal based on the fact that the Abuja Appeal Court on October 13, 2022, unanimously discharged and acquitted him of all charges brought against him by the federal government of Nigeria and barred them from prosecuting him in any Nigerian court.
They said that if the court of competent jurisdiction could pronounce such, there is no need of holding him in any Nigerian detention facility since the court has made him a free man.
“We are appealing to the conscience of Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (Rtd) to do the needful and release the young man. There was the presumption that if was Mazi Nnamdi Kanu released before the Nigerian election, his release might truncate the process of the election, but the election has been conducted and [a winner has been declared]. Whether the result of the election was right or wrong, someone has emerged winner. There is no reason why Nnamdi Kanu would continue to detain in the Department of State Services’ (DSS) detention facility.
“We appeal to the conscience of South East governors, senators and political office holders to also speak on the release of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu.”
They however noted that Ndigbo should not stress so much about the current election and other events in the country, even as they urged them to calm down and watch as things continue to unfold because their time has come.
They appealed to men of God and general overseers all over the federation to speak up in the same way Peter Obi was supported so that Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, who did not commit any crime, will be released.
“Let all the reverend priests, pastors, bishops, general overseers speak up the way Father Mbaka is speaking on behalf of Nnamdi Kanu. Let other ministers of God join and that is our humble appeal to the entire Nigerians who see this as an illegal detention and something that is not proper.
“We also call on the United Nations (UN). We are disappointed in them because we read one of their releases where they gave Nigeria six months to release Nnamdi Kanu, but up till now, the Nigerian government ignored them and we have not seen them act. They are supposed to do something to make the Nigerian government release the young man,” they said.
“The more you keep this young man in detention,” they continued, “[the] more [problems] you create in this country, and if this country fails, the outcome of it will affect the entire world, which you people know. We want you people to compel President Muhammadu Buhari to do the needful. Initially, when Igbo leaders met him on the issue, he told them that he would do what the court said. But at the end of the day, when the court passed its verdict, he turned a blind eye, showing that he has not been fair in the issue.
“This is our submission to the conscience of the UN, the Igbo nation, all priests, general overseers of all the churches, South-East governors, and leaders of thought to make sure that this man goes home.”
