Ejimakor who tweeted on Monday morning while making reference to a call by a former United States Ambassador to Nigeria, John Campbell, recounted how the Nigerian Government repeatedly failed to comply with several court orders on Kanu’s release.
Aloy Ejimakor, special counsel for Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, has urged the international community to pressure President Muhammdu Buhari to the persistent detention of the separatist leader despite a subsisting Appeal Court order acquitting him.
Ejimakor who tweeted on Monday morning while making reference to a call by a former United States Ambassador to Nigeria, John Campbell, recounted how the Nigerian Government repeatedly failed to comply with several court orders on Kanu’s release.
“Disobeying a 2018 decision of a continental tribunal on #MNK was the 1st ‘mishandling’. Extraordinary rendition was the 2nd. Disobeying the UN was the 3rd. Disobeying the judgment of the Court of Appeal will be the 4th. Nigerians & the international community must halt this,” he wrote.
Similarly, in a statement made available to SaharaReporters, Ejimakor recalled how Campbell warned that the Nigerian Government can’t afford to further mishandle Kanu’s case in the interest of the country’s security.
He wrote: “Following the extraordinary rendition of Nnamdi Kanu last year, John Campbell, the former US Ambassador to Nigeria cautioned in a tweet that Nigeria cannot afford any more ‘mishandling’ of the matter of Nnamdi Kanu for the sake of safety and security of the nation.
He said, “Nigeria’s disobedience of a 2018 decision of a continental tribunal on Kanu was the first ‘mishandling’. The extraordinary rendition was the second. Putting Kanu on trial was the third. Disobeying the United Nations was the fourth. And the likelihood of disobeying the judgment of the Court of Appeal will be the fifth.
“Nigerians of means and influence, and the international community to intervene in persuading Nigeria to promptly comply with the court order which discharged Kanu from all the criminal charges pending against him.”
Kanu was intercepted in Kenya and brought to Nigeria on June 19, 2021, by the Nigerian government in collaboration with the host country for the continuation of his trial on treasonable felony charges.
Due to this, John Campbell, the former US Ambassador to Nigeria cautioned in a tweet that Nigeria cannot afford any more ‘mishandling’ of the matter of Nnamdi Kanu for the sake of the safety and security of the nation.
In the wake of the Court of Appeal judgment discharging Kanu last week, Ejimakor, special counsel for Kanu recalled Campbell’s tweet.
Ejimakor also recalled that “Buhari had on two occasions promised to obey any court order that bears on the release of Kanu,” adding that “a promise of this sort is a debt”.
Kanu had been re-arraigned before a Federal High Court on amended 15 counts bordering on treasonable felony preferred against him by the Nigerian government.
However, on April 8, Justice Binta Nyako struck out eight of the 15 counts.
While ruling on the preliminary objection seeking to quash the charges, the judge said counts 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, and 14 had not disclosed any offence against the defendant (Kanu).
The charges that were initially struck out are as follows: “Count 6: Made broadcasts to attack officers of the Nigeria Police Force; Count 7: Made broadcasts in which he incited members of the public to hunt and attack officers of the Nigerian Police Force.
“Court 8: Made broadcasts in which he directed members of the IPOB to manufacture bombs; Court 9: Made broadcasts on diverse dates in furtherance of terrorism against the Nigeria state and with intent to destabilise the fundamental political and economic structures of Nigeria, incited members of the public to stop the Anambra governorship election.
“Count 10: Incited members of the public to destroy public facilities. Count 11: Threatened members of the public not to come out on 31st May, 2021. Count 12: Made broadcasts with the intention to incite members of the public to stage a violent revolution in furtherance of acts of terrorism. Count 14: Directed members of the public to destroy the public transport system in Lagos, resulting in major economic loss to the governor.”
Nyako had said that counts 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 8, and 15 showed some allegations, which the defendant had to answer.
However, Kanu through his team of lawyers led by Mike Ozekhome (SAN), filed an appeal marked CA/ABJ/CR/625/2022, praying the court to quash the remaining seven counts for being devoid of merit.
Despite the court ruling on October 13 granting Kanu’s release, the Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, said Kanu would not be released due to some upcoming charges.
Disobeying a 2018 decision of a continental tribunal on #MNK was the 1st ‘mishandling’. Extraordinary rendition was the 2nd. Disobeying the UN was the 3rd. Disobeying the judgment of the Court of Appeal will be the 4th. Nigerians & the international community must halt this. pic.twitter.com/43vSyIQJTq
— aloy ejimakor (@AloyEjimakor) October 17, 2022
p>