Nnamdi Kanu Not Charged With Terrorism, Says Lawyer

A quality rights lawyer, Chinomso Okezie, has dismissed claims linking the detained person of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, to terrorism, saying specified assertions are mendacious and inconsistent with the charges earlier the court.

Okezie, a Mazi Nnamdi Kanu Global Defence Consortium member,  said  connected Sunday that contrary to wide misinformation, the national authorities has ne'er charged Kanu with committing oregon participating successful immoderate violent act.

“The seven-count complaint against Mazi Nnamdi Kanu contains nary azygous number of committing oregon participating successful immoderate violent enactment nether the Terrorism Prevention Amendment Act of 2013,” she said.

“He is charged lone with alleged broadcasting and possession of connection instrumentality utilized for governmental expression, which bash not magnitude to coercion nether Nigerian oregon planetary law.”

She recalled that the Court of Appeal, successful its judgement delivered connected October 13, 2022, had discharged Kanu and declared his proceedings a nullity due to the fact that his bonzer rendition from Kenya violated planetary law.

“The Court of Appeal, per Justice Jummai Hanatu Sankey, ruled that the full process was unlawful and a breach of planetary conventions,” Okezie said. “That judgement remains valid due to the fact that it has not been acceptable aside.”

Okezie explained that portion the Supreme Court aboriginal ruled that the mode of rendition did not deprive the proceedings tribunal of jurisdiction, it did not reverse the earlier discharge.

“The apex tribunal simply remitted the substance for continuation of trial,” she clarified. “It did not nullify the uncovering that his bonzer rendition was illegal.”

The lawyer besides questioned the communicative portraying Kanu arsenic a convulsive agitator, insisting that nary admissible grounds has been produced successful tribunal to enactment specified a claim.

“If videos oregon weapons were linking him to violence, the prosecution would person tendered them aft 9 years and 5 amended charges,” she said.

“There is nary azygous forensic video, nary concatenation of custody, and nary impervious of immoderate equipped radical helium allegedly commanded.”

She maintained that nationalist information should not beryllium utilized arsenic an excuse to warrant prolonged detention oregon disobedience of tribunal orders. “National information cannot legalise illegality,” Okezie said.

“The Supreme Court has made it wide successful Marwa v. Nyako (2012) that the Constitution is ultimate and immoderate enactment inconsistent with it is void, nary substance the motive.”

The quality rights lawyer argued that Kanu’s activities autumn wrong his law rights. “Section 39 of the 1999 Constitution guarantees state of expression, portion Article 20 of the African Charter recognises the close of peoples to self-determination,” she stated.

“Advocating for governmental betterment oregon self-determination is not terrorism. It is protected speech.

She besides defended the nationalist run by immoderate activists calling for Kanu’s release, describing it arsenic a morganatic request for justice.

“Every large antiauthoritarian turning constituent successful past began with freeing a conscience prisoner,” she said.

“Mandela’s merchandise changed South Africa, Gandhi’s merchandise reshaped India, and Martin Luther King’s merchandise energised the civilian rights movement. Justice for 1 governmental captive is justness for all.”

Okezie faulted the usage of planetary examples of prolonged detentions to warrant Kanu’s continued incarceration, saying the planetary assemblage has wide condemned those cited instances.

“Guantánamo Bay, Turkey, and Kashmir are not models of justice. The United Nations and European courts person repeatedly condemned specified practices arsenic politically motivated detentions,” she said.

She described the prolonged detention of Kanu contempt tribunal orders arsenic a menace to ideology and judicial independence.

“Obedience to tribunal orders remains the cornerstone of democracy,” she said. “No authorities tin assertion to uphold the regularisation of instrumentality portion selectively enforcing judgments.”

Okezie called connected the national authorities to comply with judicial rulings and merchandise Kanu, emphasising that Nigeria’s credibility earlier the planetary assemblage depends connected its respect for the regularisation of law.

“The authorities indispensable show that nary national is supra oregon beneath the extortion of the Constitution,” she said. “The continued detention of a antheral discharged by a competent tribunal undermines the nation’s committedness to justness and equality.

“The instrumentality indispensable stay sacred,” she said. “Nigeria cannot physique a unchangeable ideology by disregarding its ain courts. Justice for 1 is justness for all.”