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Nnamdi Kanu's Lawyer Serves Nigerian Secret Police, DSS Final Administrative Demand To Release IPOB Leader

Nnamdi Kanu's Lawyer Serves Nigerian Secret Police, DSS Final Administrative Demand To Release IPOB Leader
November 29, 2022

According to Ejimakor, this is in line with the 26th October Judgment of the Federal High Court Umuahia, Abia State.

 

Aloy Ejimakor, special counsel for Nnamdi Kanu and leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has served the Nigerian secret police, Department of State Services (DSS), a final administrative demand to release the detained separatist leader without further delay.

According to Ejimakor, this is in line with the 26th October Judgment of the Federal High Court Umuahia, Abia State.

SaharaReporters had reported that the court in its judgment held that "the continued detention of Nnamdi Kanu at the SSS (also known as DSS) in Abuja amounts to a brazen violation of his fundamental rights under the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria".

Ejimakor in a statement made available to SaharaReporters on Tuesday insisted that the failure of the government to comply with this demand to release his client will trigger prompt judicial measures to enforce compliance.

The administrative demand to release Kanu, which was made available to SaharaReporters is titled: "Re: Demand For The Immediate Unconditional Release of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu From Detention In View Of The Judgment Of The Federal High Court In Suit No: FHC/UM/CS/30/2022."

It reads: "We are Solicitors to Mazi Nnamdi Kanu (hereafter: our Client), on whose behalf and firm Instructions we write this Letter on the above-captioned subject matter, with reference to which we state as follows:

"You will recall that on 26th October 2022, the Federal High Court entered a Judgment against the continued detention of our Client at the headquarters of State Security Services in Abuja. See Annexures 1 and 2.

"For your ease of reference, the relevant portion of the Judgment, which is extant and subsisting, states as follows: "I declare that the manner of arrest and detention of the Applicant in Kenya, his continued detention in Abuja, his subjection to physical and mental trauma by the Respondents, the inhuman and degrading treatment meted out to the Applicant amounts to a brazing violation of the Applicant's fundamental right to dignity of his person and threat to life under Section 34 (1)(a) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended)".

"On 27th October 2022 (the day after delivery of the Judgment), the undersigned Counsel and a Lawyer from the Umuahia (Abia State) office of the State Security Services were each availed with Certified True Copies of the Judgment and the Judgment Order by the Registry of the Federal High court, thus affirmatively putting your office on record Notice of the Judgment.

“That was thirty-one (31) days ago, yet your office has failed or otherwise refused to release our Client, which is a flagrant disobedience of the Judgment.

"For the avoidance of doubt, Section 287(3) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended) provides that: "The decisions of the Federal High Court, a High Court and of all other courts established by this Constitution shall be enforced in any part of the Federation by all authorities and persons, and by other courts of law with subordinate jurisdiction to that of the Federal High Court, a High Court and those other courts, respectively."

"In view of the foregoing constitutional provisions, it is mandatory for your office, being the detaining authority, to enforce the said Judgment (which is a decision of a Federal High Court) by releasing our Client in compliance with the ruling that our Client's "continued detention in Abuja" is unconstitutional.

"We look forward to your prompt cooperation in the demands of this Letter," it further reads.