No IPOB flag hoisted in Ado LGA of Benue—Police

…Lies used against IPOB to justify the Obigbo massacre —Nnamdi Kanu

By Chimaobi Nwaiwu

Counsel to the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, has said that nobody should expect him to be in court for the continuation of his ongoing treason trial, until a hearing is conducted on why the military invaded his home in 2017.

The counsel, Mr. Alloy Ejimako, disclosed this in a statement he issued which was made available to Vanguard by IPOB’s Media and Publicity Secretary Emma Powerful.

Mr. Ejimako therefore, advised the Nigerian judicial system to do the needful by determining why the Nigerian Army invaded Kanu’s home in 2017 and killed 28 persons in the process.

Ejimako’s statement read: “Until a hearing is conducted on why the military invaded Mazi Nnamdi Kanu’s home in 2017, he should not be expected to appear in court for the treason trials.

“Nnamdi Kanu didn’t appear because he is not in Nigeria. And his trial in absentia is open to question. It shouldn’t happen. Our position is that the court should have conducted a hearing as to why Nnamdi Kanu has repeatedly failed to appear in court. If that enquiry is conducted, it will bring to the fore what happened in September 2017. And it will give an opportunity to introduce evidence in the proceedings to demonstrate why  nobody under such circumstances should be expected to appear in court because the Army went in there to kill him. I don’t know what the court expected him to do; to stay here and be killed and be brought to court, or what?

“If someone is on bail, such a person is under the protection of the court. And now, an agency of the same government that is prosecuting this man sent its armed forces to this man  to kill him. And 28 men were killed.

“The court is not making an enquiry into that and they are solely concerned about proceeding with his trial in absentia. It shouldn’t happen in a well-ordered system. We just have to get to the root: why did he not appear in court? That is the question.

“Then, they can tell Mr Kanu to come and face your trial in court because the court will give you protection. When that is done, he will come. I guarantee he will come. Once the court makes a pronouncement on why he is not there and makes a ruling, then he will appear. But this court is not doing that. If they proceed with absentia trial, the international community will see it as kangaroo.

“If it is settled, it will be determined whether he jumped bail of which no conclusion like that will ever be reached. If the court makes such inquiry, it will also give the court an opportunity to determine what happened in 2017.”

On the fate of Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe who is one of Kanu’s sureties,Mr. Ejimako said: “I am representing the Jewish Rabbi, Immanuel Shalom, the co-surety for Nnamdi Kanu. Abaribe was not the only surety.The other one is Mr Tochukwu Uchendu, an accountant. They are of the equal footing with N100m each, totalling N300m. That is what they stand to loose if Nnamdi Kanu is determined to have jumped bail. Abaribe’s case is the same as my client’s case.

“The sureties cannot be said to have breached their bonds in circumstances such as Nnamdi Kanu’s situation where 28 persons were killed in his house. Do they want him produced in court dead? It can’t happen. The bond subsists and no one is going to lose any money. Nobody is going to jail for a bail bond that was not breached but by the Nigerian Army.

“We have the case in court that the bail bond cannot be revoked without conducting a hearing on why the person that was given the bail did not appear in court.”

It should be recalled that the leader of IPOB did not appear in court Thursday when his treason trial commenced but the court said he would be tried in absentia.

His lawyer, who was represented in court by another lawyer, claimed the court notice was very short. He told newsmen that Kanu was absent because he needed to be assured of his security.

Lies used against IPOB to justify the Obigbomassacre —Kanu

Meantime, the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, yesterday, alleged that outlandish concoctions and outright lies were used against IPOB to justify the Obigbo massacre.

READ ALSO: I didn’t order destruction of Yoruba assets ― Nnamdi Kanu

Mazi Kanu also alleged that the Nigerian Army Defense Headquarters is obstructing independent investigations into the #ObigboMassacre, adding that the Federal Government of Nigeria, Rivers State Government and the Nigerian Army have always used lies to vilify IPOB, while using kid gloves for terror franchise groups like Boko Haram, ISWAP and herdsmen who have continued killing innocent people.

Mazi Kanu, in a statement through IPOB’s Media and Publicity Secretary Emma Powerful, said that he has challenged the Nigerian Army Defense Headquarters to allow independent investigation into the #ObigboMassacre  if they know that Army is not lying against IPOB.

His statement read: “If all the outlandish concoctions and outright lies against IPOB used to justify ObigboMassacre were true, why is the Nigerian Army Defense Headquarters obstructing independent investigations? Governor Nyesom Wike demonized Obigbo people just to kill them and sadly, the killings are still ongoing but no action was taken by International Criminal Court – ICC, US Ambassador to Nigeria, UK High Commissioner to Nigeria, EU Mission to Nigeria, etc.

“It is now clear the international community no longer cares about victims of state orchestrated mass murder like what obtained in Obigbo. Appealing to the moral sense of responsibility of conscientious civilised nations no longer work. Perhaps, they want survivors of these brutal massacres all over Nigeria to go into armed resistance.

“Meanwhile, the much ‘respected’ terror franchise like Boko Haram, ISWAP, herdsmen and bandits are busy chopping off the heads of rice farmers in Borno. The cowardly bunch of murderers in uniform only have power over unarmed citizens.

“Countries like the United States of America, especially those apologists for impunity in Nigeria at the US State Department, United Kingdom, Czech Republic, Turkey and European Union that supply arms to Nigeria are equally culpable in the murder of innocent people at Obigbo in Rivers State and Lekki toll gate in Lagos State.”

Ikpeazu applauds Orji on high legislative productivity

Governor Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia State has applauded the Senator representing Abia Central Senatorial District at the National Assembly, Senator T A Orji, over the recent report from the National Assembly that confirmed that he is the most productive among former governors at the National Assembly.

According to a statement made available to newsmen in Umuahia by the state Commisioner for Information, Chief John Okiyi Kalu, “The Government of Abia State led by Governor Okezie Ikpeazu is proud of the strong legislative exploits of the former Governor of the state and Senator representing Abia Central Senatorial District at the National Assembly which has seen him sponsor seven bills including the NCDC Bill, and wish to put on record that such performance  can only come  from a Senator that is conscious of the reason the people trooped out en masse to vote for him”.

He also extolled the legislative intervention of the Senator that ensured that the federal government awarded the Umuahia-Ikot Ekpene federal highway project as well as his other constituency interventions such as award of scholarships to indigent persons and free medicare program and called on him to continue  to be a shining example for others to follow in the state.

The governor called for continuing synergy, dedication to work and support from the state  contingent  at the National Assembly to ensure that the people of the state receive more dividends of democracy from those they elected  to represent them at all levels.

According to a document, Report Card of the 9th Senate Volume One, Number One (June 2019 – May 2020) titled “How Former Governors Stand in Bills Chart of the 9th Senate”, Senator Orji was credited with a total of seven Bills, saying that he is the “Highest in Legislative Productivity”.

Some of the Bills sponsored by the Senator and already signed into law include: Food and Security Bill, and the National Centre for Disease Control, NCDC Amendment Bill. The document also named former governor of Nassarawa State, Senator Abdullahi Adamu, (Nasarawa West, APC), as also producing seven bills.

The Report also named Senator Aliyu Wamakko (Sokoto North), Senator Gabriel Suswam, (Benue North East), and Senator Ibikunle Amosun, (Ogun Central) as having four Bills to their names respectively.

Vanguardngr.com