THE Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has raised an alarm over what it termed as Federal Government’s move to assassinate its leader, Nnamdi Kanu, inside the prison custody on October 1, during Nigeria’s 56th independent anniversary celebration.
IPOB said government in defiant of court orders which directed that Kanu be released from the prison custody unconditionally, embarked on several assassination attempts on the life of the IPOB leader, adding that having failed to assassinate him on so many attempts, it now set October 1 date for his assassination.
The group said this on Thursday in a press statement issued to newsmen and signed by their spokespersons, Emma Nmezu and Dr. Clifford Iroanya, adding that they were wondering why the Federal Government is abandoning its prosecution of Kanu and going for the option of his assassination.
According to the statement, Muhammadu Buhari freed a terrorist Kabiru Umar (a.k.a Kabiru Sokoto) but disobeyed court orders on unconditional release of Nnamdi Kanu. Is the government not sure of the ability of its legal team to make a strong case for the conviction of Kanu? Is government impatient with the rule of law to the extent that it now wants to take the laws into its hands and resort to extra-judicial killing which has always been its second nature?
“What is the rationale behind government’s preference for the freedom of a terrorist and mass murderer over compliance with the rulings of courts of competent jurisdictions? Even with his limited education and non-existent leadership training plus lack of updated skills in modern and democratic governance, Buhari should at least respect the constitution of the country he is claiming to be the president of.”
The group also said that the on-going agitation for the actualisation of Biafra as a country was beyond both President Muhammadu Buhari and others who pride themselves as fighting for the country’s unity between 1967 and 1970, adding that the indices were no longer the same.
IPOB said most people in the country no longer believe in Nigerian unity and asked those around Buhari to advise him properly since there was no longer any basis for such unity again.
The group wondered why President Buhari advised Igbo youth corps members serving in Daura, his home town to ask the youths in their area to stop the struggle for Biafra because, according to him, “it will not be a reality.”
