…Urges Uwazuruike to stay away from its hqtrs

By Francis Igate & Nwabueze Okonkwo

ENUGU—The Movement for the Actualization of the Sovereign State of Biafra, MASSOB, yesterday, appealed to the Federal Government to release 23 members of the group in detention even as it raised alarm over the antics of its erstwhile leader, Ralph Uwazuruike. The group  alleged Uwazuruike  was planning to attack its headquarters in Okwe, Onu-Imo Local Government Area of Imo State in a desperate bid to restore himself as leader of the pro-Biafra group.

MASSOB warned that it will resist such attack as it appealed to security agencies to come to their aid given its peaceful stance on the agitation for Biafra.

While addressing newsmen,MASSOB leader,Uchenna Madu, warned that it will not fold its arms and watch but rather stamp its foot on the ground to ensure that Uwazuruike and his cohorts do not occupy the pro-Biafra base.

“Uwazuruike is under pressure because he never fought for the Igbo course. That is why we are appealing to security agencies to come to our aid as our demonstration for Biafra is peaceful. We will resist Uwazuruike fire-for-fire if security agencies fail to arrest him.

“We will not fold our arms and watch him(Uwazuruike)take over our headquarters. He has mortgaged our future to politicians,” the MASSOB leader appealed.

MASSOB, also appealed to the Federal Government to release unconditionally, its 23 members that littered the prisons in the south-east geopolitical zone.

Humanitarian bail

Biafra protesters

Meantime, the Coalition of South East based human rights, SBCHROs has called on Justice James Tsoho of Court Three Division of the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja, to courageously grant detained Nnamdi Kanu, leader of Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB and others humanitarian bail on Friday, January 29, 2016 during his much awaited ruling on their bail application.

SBCHROs said that “though by virtue of Sections 158 and 162 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act of 2015, accusations of treasonable felony and unlawful possession of firearms leveled against them are bailable; but it is our considered opinion that  Nnamdi Kanu in particular has brazenly been denied the constitutional protection, rights and remedies; having been held in a manner and circumstance frowned at by the constitution.”

The group said in a press statement issued yesterday in Onitsha, Anambra State entitled: “Nnammdi Kanu deserves humanitarian bail and judicial protection from state falsehood,” that by humanitarian judicial bail, they meant a bail condition accorded to a prisoner of conscience facing state persecution for expressing his political thoughts without use of violence.

According to the group, “such humanitarian bail condition(s) include self recognition, liberty, inviolate undertaking from UK High Commission or judicial deposition of his UK and Nigerian Passports. We also call for the speedy and fair trial of Kanu and others.”

In the statement, the coalition declared: “It is our authoritative information that the detained Nnamdi Kanu had never returned to Nigeria or traveled to other parts of the world including his second home-state of the United Kingdom without following and applying legitimate diplomatic processes and procedures.

“Specifically, Kanu did not return to Nigeria via Lagos, Southwest Nigeria in October 2015 without international passport of Nigerian origin. By convention or treatise (international law), which is applicable in Nigeria and the United Kingdom, Nnamdi Kanu is a member of international, Nigerian and UK  citizenship.

Also by the provisions of Chapter Three of the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria, Citizen Nnamdi Kanu is a citizen of Nigeria by birth or parenthood and by the provisions of the relevant laws of the UK; he is also a UK citizen by birth or naturalization. Generally, in the eyes of international law, he is a dual national of UK and Nigeria.

“Traditionally and specifically in Kanu’s case; visa is not required of him when he is leaving UK to Nigeria with Nigerian Passport or when he is traveling to UK from Nigeria with UK Passport. By law, Kanu is mandated to show his Nigerian Passport to UK immigration officials at any UK international airport enroute Nigeria and to Nigerian immigration officials on arrival at any Nigerian international airport; likewise using and showing his UK Passport to immigration officials when traveling to UK  from Nigeria.”

On why he should be granted humanitarian bail, the coalition further declared: “Today marks 102 days since  Nnamdi Kanu was arrested and detained by DSS on October 14, 2015 without conditional or unconditional release. In the history of democracy in Nigeria, no citizen except Nnamdi Kanu had been arrested and detained for 90 days without trial or release on pretrial bail.

IPOB directorate flays Buhari, DSS over claims against Kanu

Similarly, the Directorate of Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB has flayed what  it  termed false claims by President Muhammadu Buhari and his DSS on  Nnamdi Kanu’s entry into Nigeria.

In a press statement issued yesterday and jointly signed by their spokespersons, Mr Emma Nmezu and Dr. Clifford Iroanya, IPOB said during its media chat of December 30, 2015, that the FG government  falsely claimed that Kanu, the leader of Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, entered  Nigeria without a passport and that Kanu has two passports (one British and one Nigerian) which by the government’s understanding, makes him a criminal and therefore guilty of a non-bailable offence.