The Supreme Leader of the secessionist movement, Indigenous Peoples of Biafra, (IPOB), Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, has made another plea for his bail to be reinstated. He made the plea by himself today in the Federal Hight Court sitting in Abuja, sidestepping his attorneys.
Kanu further requested the judge that at a minimum he be transferred from the custody of the Department of State Services (DSS) – Nigeria’s secret police, to either a house arrest or any of Nigerian Correctional Service facilities.
Justice Binta Nyako presiding, dismissed both requests.
The unpersuaded judge replied that the same requests had previously been made and was dismissed for lack of merit. She repeated the old narrative that Kanu fled the country after his first bail was granted him. Her narrative was despite a subsisting and superior ruling of Nigeria’s Supreme Court on December 15, 2023, which found that the military invasion of Kanu’s home in Afaraukwu, Umuahia, Abia State on September 17, 2017 left Mr. Kanu with no option than to flee for his safety.
Justice Nyako also reechoed the fact that sureties to Mr. Kanu’s bail had discharged themselves because they claimed they could not lay hands on him.
The judge advised Kanu to seize his only remaining remedy, if he so pleases, and appeal her ruling to the Court of Appeal.
“Anybody Trying Me Is A Terrorist”
Then Mr, Kanu burst into a tirade. Sounding like he was lecturing the judge on law, he told the court that he could not be tried in Nigeria, contrary to the Terrorism Prevention and Prohibition Act and the international treaty on extradition to which Nigeria is a signatory.
Kanu was extraordinarily renditioned to Nigeria from Kenya on June 29, 2021 by covert state forces, an operation which did not follow due process for international extradition of fugitives.
Kanu came short of calling the judge of the federal high court of Nigeria, a terrorist.
“Anybody coming to try me is a terrorist”, he thundered, looking at the judge. “That is what the law says. Section 2(3)(f) of the Terrorism Prevention and Prohibition Act says that any court trying to try me is committing an act of terrorism.
“You cannot violate a treaty that Nigeria entered into and come to try that person. It is not done anywhere in the world. That is why there are all these ridiculous delays.
“The Supreme Court said that I did not jump bail. My home was invaded. They came to kill me and I survived. They came to Kenya to kidnap me, brought me back to this country and sought to try me, which the law says cannot happen.
“You cannot violate a treaty that Nigeria entered into and hope to stand on that illegality to conduct a trial. It is not done anywhere in the world. No exception whatsoever.
“It is not done anywhere in the world, and nobody has. There’s no exception, no exception whatsoever. That’s what the law says in Section 12.”
“Section 12 of the constitution (Nigeria) says that any treaty ratified by Nigeria becomes a law. You cannot change it. It doesn’t matter what they do. All these shenanigans are just pure rubbish. I believe in fairness and justice.”
When the government lawyer interjected that a defendant was not permitted to talk the way Kanu was doing, the Biafra agitator became angrier and descended heavily on the senior lawyer, calling him a terrorist in the open court.
Attempts by Justice Nyako to calm him down were rebuffed as he repeatedly shouted on the government lawyer, calling him “a terrorist and a dishonest man”.
Case Adjourned
To address the situation, the court granted a request from Kanu’s lawyer for an adjournment, allowing the legal team to consult with him in a secure, eavesdrop-free environment.
Justice Nyako subsequently adjourned the trial to June 19 and 21.
Kanu is demanding a separate nation formerly called Biafraland out of Nigeria. Biafra fought a war of independence between 1967 and 1970 but lost. However, supporters of a resurgent bid to secede argue that the faultlines that led to the first discontent persist to this day.
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