Awka— THE Indigenous People of Biafra,
IPOB, yesterday, urged its members not to be
discouraged by the stringent bail conditions for
the release of its leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu,
saying its main focus at the moment was the
scheduled May 30 remembrance day in honour
of those who lost their lives during the
1967-1970 civil war.
While commending those who stood by the
organization since the detention of Kanu in
2015, IPOB’s Media and Publicity Secretary,
Mr. Emma Powerful, assured that their support
would never be in vain.
He said: “We should not be discouraged by the
court ruling of April 25, 2017. Rather, we are
focused on May 30, 2017 remembrance day,
which is the priority of every IPOB member to
ensure that no movement of any sort, both
human and vehicular, across Biafra land on
that day, will take place.
“We must make sure that all areas occupied
by Biafrans for the remembrance and honour
of our heroes and heroines, who laid down
their lives during the genocidal war are shut
down.
“Our leader (Kanu) has been in high spirit
since his arrest in 2015 and we cannot afford
our spirit to be dampened towards the
liberation of Biafra because of conditions
attached to his release.”
Ozekhome flays Kanu’s bail condition
Meanwhile, Human rights crusader and
constitutional lawyer, Chief Mike Ozekhome,
yesterday, carpeted Justice Binta Nyako,over
her Tuesday bail conditions on Kanu.
This was even as he hailed the judge for her
action, saying it was a demonstration of rare
courage by the judiciary against the
executives overbearing influence.
Ozekhome noted that any bail condition that
becomes excessive or punitive, loses its
purpose, function and goal.
To this end, he urged lawyers for the IPOB
leader to immediately file application before
the same trial judge, Justice Binta Nyako, for
variation of the bail terms to more favourable
ones.
In a statement he released last night,
Ozekhome noted that such application “will
make Kanu a human being once more. I urge
Nnamdi Kanu’s lawyers to immediately file an
application before the same Justice Binta for
variation of the bail terms to more favourable
ones, that will make Kanu a human being once
more.
“I urge the Nigerian judiciary to stand up to
defend the rights of all Nigerians against
executive lawlessness, judicial timidity and
legislative rascality. God bless Nigeria and
Nigerians.”
The full text of the statement which he
captioned “Nnamdi Kanu’s travail:A bare bail
devoid of liberty”,read thu:
“ I congratulate Justice Binta Nyako for being
courageous enough to even grant bail at all to
IPOB leader, Nnamdi Kanu, on health grounds.
“This is predicated on the truism that the
Judiciary has been so humiliated, browbeaten,
terrorized and emasculated by the Executive,
that it takes extraordinary courage and daring
bravado, for a Judge to even grant bail to a
much vilified Nnamdi Kanu, whose only
“crime” is that he seeks self determination for
his repressed, oppressed, suppressed and
marginalized indigenous people of Biafra, a
right recognized even by the UNO and AU in
all self – determination instruments.
“The catch here however, is that in granting
the bail, the Judge, apparently trying to tread
softly, took back with the right hand what she
gave with the left hand.
“ Bail is a constitutional right. It is guaranteed
by section 35(5) of the 1999 Constitution, with
or without conditions attached. But any
conditions so attached to bail must be such
that the grant of bail is itself not rendered
meaningless and impotent as in the Nnamdi
case. Kanu’s bail conditions are outrightly
stringent, punitive, discriminatory, profiling and
stereotyping. Hear them:
“He must produce 3 sureties, who must
deposit the sum of 100m each (a ready recipe
for corruption).
“One of the sureties must be a highly
respected Jewish leader since Kanu practices
Judaism as his religion (discrimination on the
basis of religion).
Produce a highly placed person of Igbo
extraction (discrimination on the basis of
place of origin and ethnic group).
“Produce a respected person who resides and
owns landed property in Abuja (a call for the
elitist money bags).
Must not attend any rally or grant an interview
(breach of freedom of movement and speech).
“Must not be in a crowd exceeding 10 persons
(denial of freedom of Association).Must
surrender his Nigerian and British passports
(denial of freedom of movement).Must sign an
undertaking to be available for trial at all times
(normal. This is the main purpose of bail).
“His wedding ring and reading glasses to be
given back to him (thank God for tokenism).
Must provide monthly update on Kanu’s health
(yes, to ensure his health is improving).
“Some of the bail conditions are not only
troubling, unsetting and punitive, but are
simply unconstitutional, as briefly highlighted
above.
“Section 42(1) of the 1999 Constitution
provides that a citizen of Nigeria of a
particular community, ethnic group, place of
origin, sex, religion or political opinion shall
not, by reason only that he is such a person:-
“(a) be subjected either expressly by, or in the
practical application of, any executive or
administrative action of the government, to
disabilities or restrictions to which citizens of
Nigeria of other communities, ethnic groups,
places of origin, sex, religions or political
opinions are not made subject to; or
“(b) be accorded either expressly by, or in the
practical application of, any law in force in
Nigeria or any such executive or administrative
action, any privilege or advantage that is not
accorded to citizens of Nigeria of other
communities, ethnic groups, places of origin,
sex, religions or political opinions.
“(2) No citizen of Nigeria shall be subjected to
any disability or deprivation merely by reason
of the circumstances of his birth.
“It is crystal clear from these constitutional
provisions that the stringent bail conditions
granted to Nnamdi have clearly discriminated
against him and subjected him to “certain
disabilities or restriction” on the basis of his
religion, place of birth, political opinion and
ethnic group.
“What the bail conditions are simply saying is
that it will be illegal, forbidden and contrary to
the bail conditions were Kanu to do the
following:
“(a) Kanu cannot be received by a multitude of
his village people, kindred and kinsmen, who
have missed his presence since his mindless
incarceration over one and half years ago,
contrary to the right to freedom of Association
granted by section 40 of the 1999
Constitution.
“(b) That Kanu cannot express his right to
freedom of expression clearly guaranteed by
section 39 of the Constitution.
“(c) That Kanu cannot exercise his freedom of
movement guaranteed by section 41 of the
Constitution.
“(d) That Kanu cannot receive sympathizers,
well wishers and political Associates, once
they are more than 10.
“(e) That Kanu cannot freely exercise, without
being monitored, his freedom of religion and
conscience contrary to section 38 of the
Nigerian Constitution.
“(f) That Kanu cannot, at any given time, even
in his household or larger family setting, host
more than 10 people (ludicrous; unnatural!).
“(g) That Kanu cannot even visit any hospital
to take care of his health, because the
hospital staff of Doctors, nurses, para-medical
staff and other patients, must surely exceed
10 (contrary to section 17(3)(c) of the
Constitution.
“(h) That Kanu cannot attend church service
or the synagogue worship to glorify God in
thanksgiving for his release, since such place
of worship will harbour hundreds if not
thousands, of people (contrary to section 10
and 38 of the Constitution).
“(i) That Kanu cannot even go to a busy motor
park, airport, seaport, Parks and Gardens,
Cinema hall, theatre, to transport himself,
watch films or relax, or even go to Shoprite to
shop.
“(j) That Kanu cannot deliver lectures to
students, or groups, or participate in seminars,
workshops, summits, conferences, etc., as
these involve many people.
“(k) That by way of summary, Kanu should
remain a hermit, marooned like Robinson
Crusoe in the 1719 novel of the same name,
by Daniel Defoe, who spent over 28 years as a
castaway, after he was washed up on the
shores of a deserted island, near the mouth of
Oronoco River in South America.
“Day by day, we subject the Nigerian society
to bottomless ridicule and derision in the
comity of Nations.”
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