Aloy Ejimakor, the legal counsel to the leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, has asked outgoing President Muhammadu Buhari to release the separatist leader currently in detention to “prove that his apologies to Nigerians” were genuine.
“Prove that your apology is genuine by freeing Mazi Nnamdi Kanu and all detained on account of self-determination,” Mr Ejimakor tweeted at the weekend.
His tweet came after Mr Buhari, who would be handing over the reins of power on May 29 to a new government, begged many Nigerians for forgiveness.
The outgoing President had on Friday, during the Eid-el-Fitr, asked Nigerians to forgive him in any way he has hurt them.
“We are all humans, if I have hurt some people along the line of my service to the country, I ask that they pardon me,” Mr Buhari, who is expected to hand over to Bola Tinubu, declared winner of the February 25 poll, pleaded with over 200 million Nigerians, at a dinner shortly after the prayer.
He added, “I think it is a good coincidence for me to say goodbye to you, and thank you for tolerating me for almost eight years.”
But reacting further, Mr Ejimakor knocked Mr Buhari over his self-determination policy, saying his government of about eight years led to extrajudicial killings of agitators and separatists in the country.
He added that Mr Buhari needed to release Mr Kanu, who had been in the custody of the State Security Service (SSS) since June 2021, before leaving office.
“Dear President Muhammadu Buhari. Your policy on self-determination led to extrajudicial killings, detentions, torture, and an infamous extraordinary detention,” the lawyer added.
Recall that Governor Charles Soludo of Anambra first made the public appeal for the unconditional and immediate release of Mr Kanu on January 14, 2023.
Mr Soludo specifically told the Buhari regime to trust him as he would stand a surety for the separatist leader if released from detention.
“I am making a passionate appeal to the Federal Government to release Mazi Nnamdi Kanu unconditionally. If he cannot be released unconditionally, I want him released to me and I will stand surety for him,” he said.
The governor said his call for the release of Mr Kanu would help expose criminals who occasionally carry out attacks in the South-east under the guise of Biafra agitation.
Suspected gunmen claiming to be part of the IPOB’s agitation in the South-east, have been carrying out violent attacks on government facilities.
Security agencies are also not spared in the deadly attacks in the region.
IPOB – the separatist group has been agitating for an independent state of Biafra which it wants to be carved out from the South-east and South-south parts of the country.
The leader of the group, Mr Kanu was first arrested in 2015 but later granted bail in April 2017.
He, however, fled the country after an invasion of his home in Afara-Ukwu by the military.
Mr Kanu was re-arrested in Kenya and brought to Nigeria in June 2021, about four years after he fled the country.
On October 13, the Court of Appeal in Abuja held that the IPOB leader was extraordinarily renditioned to Nigeria and that the action was a flagrant violation of the country’s extradition treaty.
The appellate court also added that it was a breach of Mr Kanu’s fundamental human rights.
Thereafter, the court struck out the terrorism charges filed against him by the Buhari regime and ordered his release from the detention of the SSS.
Since then, the regime has refused to release the IPOB leader, insisting that Mr Kanu could be unavailable in subsequent court proceedings if released.
Through the office of the Attorney-General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, the regime later appealed the court ruling and obtained an order for a stay of execution of the judgment at the Supreme Court.
