The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has accused the Nigeria’s Supreme Court of judicial ethnic profiling against the people of the South-East region of Nigeria – the Igbos.
The Biafran group made the accusation on Monday in a statement by its Media and Publicity Secretary, Emma Powerful, while questioning the apex court’s alleged silence and refusal to hear the appeal filed by its detained leader, Mr. Nnamdi Kanu despite all the accelerated hearing processes filed on the case.
According to IPOB, “The recent political developments and ethnic profiling of Ndigbo in Nigeria are also playing out in the case of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, which has been held down by the Justices of the Supreme Court of Nigeria. It is evident that the lives of Biafrans, particularly Ndigbo, are endangered in Nigeria.
“We have witnessed the Supreme Court of Nigeria giving accelerated hearings to political cases brought before them but have kept mute over the human rights abuse of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu who is illegally detained at the DSS (Department of the State Services) solitary confinement or dungeon for almost 2 years now.
“The continuous silence and refusal of the Justices of the Supreme Court of Nigeria to set a date of hearing on the Appeals brought before them by the Federal Government against the discharge and acquittal order from the Abuja Appeal Court has shown that the Apex Court is not neutral in this case.”
IPOB recalled that on October 13, 2022, the Abuja Division of the Appeal Court discharged and acquitted Kanu and ordered the Nigerian government to unconditionally release him from detention but on the contrary, the Nigerian government appealed the appellate court’s ruling at the Supreme Court while Kanu remains in detention.
IPOB stated that “Over 150 days after this appeal was lodged, the apex court that ought to be the last hope of a common man has maintained silence thereby giving the Nigeria government the opportunity to continue the torture and illegal detention of Nnamdi Kanu in DSS solitary dungeon for confinement.”
The group maintained that “The subversion of law and justice in the continuing persecution of Mazi Nnamdi KANU, irrespective of his failing health condition, is regrettable, unfortunate, and in clear violation of his fundamental human rights according to the Nigeria Constitution and International Laws.”
IPOB also accused the British government and the Commonwealth Office of what it described as “criminal silence” to use their diplomatic offices to demand for the unconditional release of Kanu, a British citizen, as ordered by the Appeal Court, adding that the action is degrading to the British global influence.
The group questioned “Why will Britain and the Commonwealth Office allow their citizen to be in detention without charge? Where in the world has that happened before? Only in the case of Nnamdi Kanu because of the Nigeria government's hatred of Ndi Igbo and of Nnamdi Kanu in particular.
“This same Britain had in the past severed or cut off diplomatic relationship with Nigeria for their failed attempt to kidnap and parcel back to Nigeria the Late Umaru Dikko in a diplomatic duffle bag from London to Nigeria under this same tyrant Muhammadu Buhari's military dictatorship.”
IPOB insisted that “The Supreme Court has shown that Biafrans are not safe in Nigeria. Nigeria's executive arm of government has subjugated both the judiciary and the legislative arms of the same government.
“The apex cum constitutional court must understand that the abuse of Appeal Court orders because it is ruled in favour of Nnamdi Kanu will ridicule them before the whole world and eventually embolden the executive branch to become a law unto itself going forward.”