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IPOB Rejects Soludo’s Offer To Stand As Surety For Nnamdi Kanu

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IPOB Rejects Soludo's Offer To Stand As Surety For Nnamdi Kanu
IPOB leader, Nnamdi Kanu and Anambra State Governor, Charles Soludo

Anambra State Governor, Charles Chukwuma Soludo’s offer to stand as surety for the embattled leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, has been rejected.

Governor Soludo had, over the weekend, pleaded with President Muhammadu Buhari to release the separatist who is currently in the custody of the Department of States Services (DSS).

The Anambra Governor’s pledge was coming days after the Chief Whip of the Senate, Orji Uzor Kalu, vowed to stand as surety for the Biafra agitator if the federal government would release him.

Like Kalu, Soludo offered to act as surety for Kanu. Speaking at the rally of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) in Awka, Soludo emphasized the importance of involving all stakeholders in the security situation in the South-East.

In a statement, however, issued hours later by IPOB publicity secretary, Emma Powerful, the group said Soludo’s surety for Kanu was not needed, noting that his kind of plea is the reason rulers of Nigeria have no regard for the rule of law.

According to Powerful, the stage where Kanu needed surety for any bail has passed, noting that the separatist has since been discharged and acquitted of every charge against him.

IPOB said the call should be for the federal government to respect its own court and grant the detained separatist freedom.

Naija News recalls that the Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory in October 2022, upheld Kanu’s appeal.

The court also discharged and acquitted the embattled leader of the proscribed group. Kanu had in his appeal dated April 29 and marked CA/ABJ/CR/625/2022 applied to be discharged and acquitted. Kanu was first arraigned on December 23, 2015, and was later granted bail on April 25, 2017.

The Court of Appeal subsequently declared as illegal and unlawful, the abduction of the Biafran agitator from Kenya to Nigeria and quashed the entire terrorism charges brought against him by the Federal Government.

The Appellate Court held that the Federal Government breached all local and international laws in the forceful rendition of Kanu to Nigeria, thereby making the terrorism charges against him incompetent and unlawful.

In the statement delivered to newsmen on Monday morning, Powerful said IPOB welcome the call by Governor Soludo for the unconditional release of Kanu.

“But the said call for the unconditional release of our leader is belated, and coming three months and one day after the Court of Appeal, Abuja judicial division, in its erudite judgement delivered on the 13th day of October 2022, discharged and acquitted the leader of IPOB and all the remaining 8-Count amended charge preferred against him,” he said.

IPOB stressed that Kanu no longer had any form of indictment, and cannot be said to be suretied. The group urged Soludo to rather add his voice for the unconditional release of its leader.

The statement added: “It is important, therefore, to clarify that our leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu has no form of indictment or even charge pending against him today before any court by the authority of this Judgement.

“The issue of granting bail or otherwise does not arise by any stretch of consideration or imagination, because it is the Federal Government that is today in breach of this order of a superior court of competent Jurisdiction.

“It is to be emphasized further that Onyendu, who was discharged on the 13th Day of October 2022, by the Court of Appeal does not have any need for surety because there is no charge hanging on his neck today.

“We have gone beyond the issue of surety or no surety, every genuine call/demand in the prevailing circumstance should be firmly directed at calling on the Federal Government of Nigeria to immediately obey the order for the unconditional release of ‘Onyendu’ made by its own court.

“May we also remind Governor Soludo and others that Onyendu’s current incarceration is not sanctioned by any law known to man; it is unconstitutional and an affront to constitutional democracy and the rule of law?”

“Why should we be pleading with them to obey their own court orders directing for the unconditional release of Onyendu. It’s compelling and mandatory on their part to obey their own court orders,” IPOB said.