Nnamdi Kanu, the imprisoned leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), has vowed to never beg for his release after being cleared by Justice Binta Nyako of an Abuja Federal High Court.
According to Naija News, in a letter dated August 25, 2023, and signed by his lead attorney, Mike Ozekhome, SAN, the IPOB leader claimed that pleading for his release at this point would be disrespectful to the memory of the late Pa Mbazulike Amechi, who in his advanced age frequently traveled from the South-East to Abuja to request that the federal government release him as a dying wish—a request that the government never granted.
In a letter to the federal government titled “Update on our routine visit to our indefatigable client – Onyendu Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, at the Headquarters of the State Security Services, Abuja, where he is still being held illegally and unconstitutionally in solitary confinement,” Kanu noted that he won’t beg the government because the Appeal Court has already made a decision and it is still sacrosanct.
“Onyendu Mazi Nnamdi Kanu used the opportunity provided by the visit to express his sincere gratitude to all upright individuals and organizations calling for his release,” he stated. He then urged us to clarify that he has been effectively and validly discharged by the judgment of the Court of Appeal, delivered on October 13, 2022, which said judgment also prohibited his further trial and detention. He did this after observing that many people might not have understood the peculiarity of his case. As a result, Onyendu Mazi Nnamdi Kanu is not currently facing any charges in any court.
Furthermore, Onyendu Mazi Nnamdi Kanu unambiguously declared that pleading with the Federal Government to free him now is an insult to the memory of the late Pa Mbazulike Amaechi, who, despite his advanced age and poor health, repeatedly traveled from the South-East to Abuja to make this request, which the Federal Government of Nigeria treated with the utmost scorn and did not honor.Onyendu Mazi Nnamdi Kanu is adamant that he does not need to implore the FGN to free him as a result. In that regard, the Court of Appeal has previously reached a ruling, and that ruling has been upheld to this day.
Because of this, “every person of good will should call upon the Supreme Court to fix a date for the prompt hearing of the Federal Government’s appeal, as provided for in the Criminal Appeals Practice Directions of the Supreme Court,” according to the Supreme Court.Onyendu Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, our tenacious client, was visited by us today, August 28, 2023, to inform him of the various interim measures taken by the legal team, ably led by Prof. Mike Ozekhome, SAN, to address pertinent concerns affecting his welfare and the SSS’s failure to provide him with his medical records.
Consequently, in accordance with the pertinent provisions of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, 2015, an application has been made to the Honourable Chief Judge of the Federal Capital Territory by our learned Lead Counsel, Prof. Mike Ozekhome SAN, to name a Magistrate who will visit and inspect the SSS facility/cell where Mazi Nnamdi Kanu has been detained in solitary confinement since June 2021 to the present.
As a result of the SSS’s blatant disregard for a court order and its refusal to provide Onyendu Mazi Nnamdi Kanu with his medical records as ordered by Hon. Justice Binta Nyako in the judgment delivered on July 20, 2023, “our erudite lead counsel, Prof. Mike Ozekhome, SAN, was forced to initiate a contempt proceeding against the State Security Service and her Director General for this gross violation of positive Orders of Court.”