Calabar—Leaders and stakeholders in the Niger Delta region have urged the federal government to follow the rule of law in the trial of Nnamdi Kanu, vanguard reports.
Nnamdi Kanu, who was rearrested over the weekend, after jumping bail is the leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).
A legal practitioner in Calabar, Cross River state, Mba Uwkeni pointed out that, “He jumped bail during his trial and the government went after him and brought him back to face trial, there is nothing unconstitutional about that.”
Popular activist and publisher of Cross River Watch, Agba Jalingo, stated that: ”I know for once that Kanu is not a terrorist, all those charges are simply trumped up. His arrest and extradition would go down in history as one of the fastest considering the suspension of Twitter and all that.”
“His arrest also goes to show that the Nigerian government knows the whereabouts of anyone and anybody they are looking for, just that there are people on their list who they believe can alter the polity of the system and that of the political/ruling class.
”If not, how come for so long they could not capture Shekau not until ISWAP allegedly killed him, but within how many weeks after the issue of Twitter, Kanu was suddenly arrested and brought back to Nigeria to face trial on terrorism and other 4 charges.
“What we are saying is simple, even from now till the 26 of July and beyond, he should be treated like a human being and nothing should happen to him, also his fundamental human rights must not in any way be trampled on .
“Whether they arrest him or not, Biafra is now bigger than what it was before now, Kanu is not just speaking his mind alone but that of a lot of people from the south- east, so whatever happens, they should not make the mistake of not following the rule of law,” Agba said.
An ex-agitator, Imoh Okoko, speaking in Uyo, the Akwa Ibom state capital said: “There is nothing wrong with his arrest. But to me, government should give him a fair trial. We are not part of Biafra secessionist. He is a human being like all of us. When people are making statements, they should mind what they say. He has made some statements that even I am not comfortable with.”
“When you make certain statements like ‘shoot on sight’, when something happens, whether you are behind it or not, they will put the blame on you. I am not against IPOB saying that they need Biafra, anybody has the right to agitate for what they want, but when you carry arms or give people instructions to carry arms it is wrong.
“We need unity in Nigeria whether the government favours us or not. I do not support the killings, destruction and so on. So, if the government arrests him, fine, but let government give him a fair trial. He is a citizen of Nigeria, let him explain himself, and let the court decide whether he is guilty or not.”
Speaking from Benin City, Edo state, an ex-militant leader, Godstime Ogidigba, explained that “The arrest is a welcome development. He was arrested before and he was put on trial and he ran away. I commend the collaboration between the INTERPOL and the Nigerian security agencies and others that were part of the re-arrest.
“They want Biafra but I question the way and manner they are going about it. They ought to be peaceful about it and call a referendum so if they have to leave they will not create tension and insecurity in the country.
The Biafra people should approach their matter in a legal way and not creating unnecessary tension in the country. Nigeria is a peaceful nation, even with the challenges we have, I think we will overcome, the re-arrest is one of the good things the federal government has done to curb insecurity mostly in the South-East,” he reiterated.
The Coordinator, Action for Socio-Political and Economic Change, Osaze Edigin, asserted that: “I want to say that I am not too impressed by the way the federal government has gone about it. Nigeria is already bedeviled with a lot of challenges and spending so much time by the government, I think there are so many other problems confronting the nation. In as much as I do not believe in the style or approach of Nnamdi Kanu’s agitation because his action has led to loss of lives and destruction of properties, I do not subscribe to the drama.”
“However, now that he has been rearrested, the due process in the trial should be followed so that the trial will be concluded and he should not be subjected to unnecessary treatment, rather the federal government should follow due process in his re-trial.”
A human rights activist and Akwa Ibom state executive director of COMPPART Foundation for Justice and Peace Building, Mr. Saviour Akpan, opined that, “They should give him fair trial based on regional and International best practices as enshrined in the United States Declaration and the African Charter on Human Rights,” he added.
