The detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Mazi Nnamdi Kanu’s lead counsel, Aloy Ejimakor, on Tuesday, said the power to release the Biafra agitator from detention rests solely on President Bola Tinubu or the Attorney General of the Federation, not the Service Chiefs.
Ejimakor who spoke via his verified X page noted that President Tinubu’s National Security Adviser (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu, lacks the authority to release Kanu.
He, however, cautions those making false claims that Kanu’s matter is a security issue to stop, stressing that it is a matter of self-determination.
The constitutional lawyer stated that self-determination is not a political offence and is not considered a crime anywhere in the world, including Nigeria, under Article 20 of the Nigerian law and the African Charter.
Ejimakor wrote: “Freeing Nnamdi Kanu lies with the President, not the Service Chiefs. Those peddling the fallacy that the matter of MAZI NNAMDI KANU is a ‘security issue’ should stop.
“The truth is that his matter is a ‘self-determination’ issue, which is within the purview of the President/AGF, not the National Security Adviser. Nobody is killed by mere broadcasts.
“When you take anybody to any court in any country in the world and tell that court you want the person because he wants a Biafra, they will tell you to go to hell. You are a kidnapper extraordinaire.
“Whether you are a government or not, you are a rogue. You should not try anybody in court for wanting a separate nation.
“That is how Nigeria was founded in 1960. That was how the Midwest region was created in 1963. That is how Nigeria lost Southern Cameroon to Cameroon.
“It is either called a referendum or plebiscite, and that is how Nigeria got Adamawa, the former Southern Cameroon, into Northern Nigeria.
“Why should the Biafra issue be different? It is only a crime in Nigeria. IPOB is only considered a terrorist organization in Nigeria but not globally.
“This highlights that we hold something in Nigeria, which is why Nigeria ambushed Nnamdi Kanu and kidnapped him.”
This comes as Southeast governors revealed plans to meet with Tinubu to discuss a political solution for Kanu’s release. Additionally, Southeast lawmakers met with the Attorney General of the Federation last Wednesday.
During the meeting, the senators appealed to Tinubu to order Kanu’s release, stressing that his release would boost social and economic activities in the South-East zone.
