As President, Atiku’ll release Nnamdi Kanu, says Obiora Okonkwo

THE Director-General of the Atiku/Okowa Presidential Campaign Council, PCC, in Anambra State, Professor Obiora Okonkwo, has expressed optimism that presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, will grant detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, unconditional release when he emerges president on May 29.

Kanu has been in the detention facility of the Department of State Services, DSS, since June 2021, when he was intercepted and renditioned to Nigeria from Kenya by the Federal Government to terrorism charges.

However, the Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja, on Thursday, October 13, 2022, quashed the terrorism charge the Federal Government had preferred against the detained IPOB leader. It acquitted him of the seven-count charge pending against him before the Federal High Court in Abuja.

In a landmark judgement, the appellate court led by Justice Jummai Hanatu, stated that the “Federal Government flagrantly violated the law, when it forcefully rendered Kanu from Kenya to the country for the continuation of his trial; and that such extra-ordinary rendition, without adherence to due process of the law, was a gross violation of all international conventions, protocols and guidelines that Nigeria is signatory to, as well as a breach of the Appellant’s fundamental human rights.”

Also, the United Nations Human Rights Council Working Group on Arbitrary Detention has, in a report it released July last year, intervened with a call on the Nigerian Government to “immediately release Kanu unconditionally” and pay him adequate compensations for the arbitrary violation of his fundamental human rights. But the Federal Government has ignored all these and instead challenged the judgment at the Supreme Court.

Revealing Atiku’s plan, Director General of the Presidential Campaign Council, PCC, of Atiku/Okowa in Anambra State, Professor Obiora Okonkwo, said the PDP candidate will rely on the Appeal Court judgement to release the Biafra agitator.

Okonkwo argued that the appellate court was explicit that Kanu should be a free man and no court can try him again for the alleged offence. 

He said: “I am saying this with every sense of responsibility that Atiku will grant Nnamdi Kanu unconditional release. That is in Atiku’s agenda for permanent peace in the south east. In addition, he will also apply political solution to release all those genuine IPOB agitators in detention without trial.

“Atiku’s government’ll have serious talks with the group and others, with the view to restoring their faith in the country, and make them part of the effort for better Nigeria. However, the criminal elements will be dealt with decisively.”

Easterners to fall behind PDP.

“With this plan, Atiku is the only candidate that has a plan to address the situation in South East, to the benefit of the region and country generally.”