‘Don’t beg Tinubu for my release’ – Nnamdi Kanu blows hot

Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of the proscribed Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB), has made it clear that he does not want anyone to beg for his release from detention.

According to his lawyer, Aloy Ejimakor, Kanu believes he has not committed any crime and should not be subjected to appeals for pardon or clemency.

This statement comes in response to calls from some South East leaders, including Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu, urging President Bola Tinubu to secure his release.

However, Kanu insists that his freedom should be based on the rule of law, referencing a Federal High Court ruling that deemed his detention unconstitutional.

Rather than appeal for his release, Kanu encourages those seeking help to focus on ensuring that his case is handled fairly and in line with the law.

He also extends his gratitude to those working to restore peace and order in Igboland. This information was shared in a statement signed by his lawyer, Aloy Ejimakor, on Saturday. In the statement, published on his social media, Ejimakor noted that Kanu was unhappy with the ongoing pleas for his release and expressed his discontent with such calls on Friday.

“During my visitation with Onyendu Mazi Nnamdi Kanu yesterday, he made it abundantly clear that while he is deeply appreciative of the efforts and the widespread calls being made by well-meaning individuals and groups to secure his release, he, however, instructed his legal team to issue the following clarifications:

“The matter of releasing Mazi Nnamdi Kanu is not an act of mercy, pardon, executive clemency, or even amnesty. Instead, it should be an act of simply complying with the subsisting Federal High Court judgment that declared his detention as unconstitutional or even the extant international tribunal decisions that separately declared his detention as unlawful. Alternatively, the decision to free him from detention and discontinue his infamous prosecution can be made by simply resorting to the constitutional provisions that empower the Attorney-General of the Federation (on the directives of the President) to discontinue any prosecution.

“Onyendu Mazi Nnamdi Kanu is adamant that nobody should plead or beg anybody on his behalf because he has committed no crime. Self-determination which is the real issue that got twisted to suddenly become a high crime is an inalienable right guaranteed under the laws of Nigeria, the United Nations, the United Kingdom, and Kenya. Thus, the perverse and unlawful criminalisation of his exercise of this right should not unwittingly be encouraged through some misguided appeals for pardon, clemency, or mercy. Thus, releasing Mazi Nnamdi Kanu is not an act of mercy or pardon but an act of abiding by rule of law.

“In as much as those calling for his release are sincere, their calls for pardon or clemency may be misconstrued as a green light to the executive branch or even the courts to violate the rule of law by continuing to subject Mazi Nnamdi Kanu to a prosecution or trial that does not comport with the tenets of the Constitution and Nigeria’s treaty obligations.

“Instead of begging, those desiring his release should emulate the language and tact used by Afenifere, Ohaneze, World Igbo Congress (WIC), ranking members of the National Assembly, American Military Veterans of Igbo Descent (AVID), Ambassadors for Self Determination (based in America), the international community and a host of others who have made it clear that Mazi Nnamdi Kanu deserves to be released because he has committed no offence known to law. If truth be told, it is Nigeria’s executive branch which extraordinarily renditioned Mazi Nnamdi Kanu that should show contrition for resorting to extraordinary rendition which is a State crime under international law and and the common law. If any begging must be done, it should be directed to the Courts to conduct his cases and that of IPOB with the utmost impartiality and adherence to rule of law, equity, and good conscience.

“Most importantly, Onyendu Mazi Nnamdi Kanu sincerely thanks everyone working assiduously towards the restoration of security, tranquility, and good order in his beloved Igboland,” the statement read.