The embattled leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPoB), Mazi Nnamdi Kanu has agreed to abide by any condition the Federal Government would give for his release from detention.
Leading South East Senators to a meeting with the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Prince Lateef Fagbemi on Wednesday to demand Kanu’s release, the Senator representing Abia South, Enyinnaya Abaribe said that he had already met with the IPoB leader at the headquarters of the Department of State Services (DSS).
Abaribe, who spoke on behalf of his colleagues, said that he was optimistic that the AGF would persuade the Federal Government to heed to the call for Kanu’s release.
He said that the continued detention of the IPoB leader was responsible for the rising level of insecurity and agitations in the South East region.
According to him, unless Kanu is released, social and economic activities within the region would remain stagnant.
The meeting between the lawmakers and the AGF came barely one day after all the governors from the South East region resolved to approach President Bola Tinubu to beg for Kanu’s freedom.
Earlier, about 50 members of the House of Representatives from various parts of the country had urged President Tinubu to free the detained IPOB leader.
The representatives, who identified themselves as “Concerned Federal Lawmakers for Peace and Security in the South East”, prayed President Tinubu to direct the AGF to invoke Section 174 of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, to terminate the terrorism-related charge that is pending against Kanu before the Abuja Division of the Federal High Court.
Kanu was first arrested in Lagos on 14 October 2015 upon his return to the country from the United Kingdom.
On 25 April 2017, Justice Binta Nyako granted him bail on health ground, after he had spent about 18 months in detention.
Upon the perfection of the bail conditions, he was on 28 April 2017, he released from the Kuje prison.
However, midway into the trial, the IPoB leader escaped from the country after soldiers invaded his country home at Afara Ukwu Ibeku in Umuahia, Abia State, an operation that led to the death of some of his followers.
Abaribe, who initially stood as his surety, alongside two others, subsequently applied to the court to be allowed to withdraw from the case.
Not satisfied with Abaribe’s claim that he was not aware of the whereabouts of the defendant, the trial court ordered him to forfeit the N100 million he deposited as bond to secure Kanu’s bail.
Meanwhile, Kanu was later re-arrested in Kenya on 19 June 2021 and extraordinarily renditioned back to the country by security agents on 27 June 2021.
Following the development, the trial court, on 29 June 2021, remanded him in custody of DSS, where he remained till date.
On 8 April 2022, the court struck out eight out of the 15-count charge that Federal Government preferred against him on the premise that they lacked substance.
On 13 October 2022, the Abuja Division of the Court of Appeal ordered Kanu’s immediate release from detention even as it quashed the charge against him.
Dissatisfied with the decision, Federal Government took the matter before the Supreme Court, even as it persuaded the appellate court to suspend the execution of the judgement, pending the determination of its appeal.
While deciding the appeal last 15 December, the Supreme Court vacated the judgement of the appellate court and gave the Federal Government the nod to try the IPoB leader on the subsisting seven-count charge.
