By Abiola Olawale
The 2023 presidential candidate of the Labour Party(LP) and two term Governor of Anambra State, Mr Peter Obi, has lamented that the continued detention of the embattled leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) is undemocratic.
The former governor of Anambra State said it is undemocratic to detain Kanu despite several court rulings that have granted him freedom.
Obi who spoke with the press on Saturday in Onitsha, Anambra state also called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to immediately release Kanu in the interest of the rule of law.
Obi said: “I don’t see any reason for his continuous detention, especially as the courts have granted him bail. The government must obey the court.
“The rule of law is an intricate asset that we must cherish and live with. I use this opportunity to plead with the Federal Government to ensure that all those who are in similar conditions are released and discussed.
“We are in a democracy, and we should not be doing things that are arbitrary and not within the law.”
The former Anambra State governor and Labour Party presidential candidate in the 2023 presidential polls also lamented the increasing insecurity in the country, saying that Nigeria was gradually becoming a failed state if nothing was done urgently to salvage the situation.
He continued: “The primary work of government is the security of lives and property. It is the foundation on which people can live in any nation because no one can stay in an insecure place.
“It is worrisome what is happening in Nigeria with the news of killings, abductions, and other vices that have made Nigeria one of the most insecure places on the earth. It is leading to a failed nation.
“I commend the government for their efforts so far, but there is a need to do more, and all leaders must come together to join hands and fight this. In the South-East, there is a need for the governors to come together to be able to tackle it.
“Even in economic agenda, I want to see the South-East governors work closely more. We want to see them come together and also bring together other groups in the zone.”
The New Diplomat reports that Kanu has been facing Stormy waters since he was first arrested in Lagos State on October 14, 2015, upon his return to the country from the United Kingdom, UK.
It would be recalled that Justice Nyako had on April 25, 2017, granted him bail on health grounds, after he had spent about 18 months in detention.
Upon the perfection of the bail conditions, he was on April 28, 2017, released from the Kuje prison.
However, midway into the trial, the IPOB leader escaped from the country after soldiers invaded his country home at Afara Ukwu Ibeku in Umuahia, Abia State, an operation that led to the death of some of his followers.
Kanu was later re-arrested in Kenya on June 19, 2021, and extraordinarily brought back to Nigeria by security agents on June 27, 2021.
Since he was brought back to Nigeria from Kenya in July 2021, the Federal High Court in Abuja presided over by Justice Binta Murtala Nyako, had on April 8, 2022, cleared eight of Nnamdi Kanu’s 15 charges. The court of appeal later on October 14, 2022, dropped all charges against him and ordered his discharge.
But the Federal Government pressed on to the Supreme Court which ordered a restart of the treason trial. He remains in the custody of the Directorate of State Service, DSS.
