The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has dismissed recent remarks by Mr. Onoh suggesting that the group is obstructing the release of its leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu.
In a statement signed by its spokesperson, Comrade Emma Powerful, IPOB described Onoh’s claims as “unfortunate and misinformed,” stressing that the ongoing incarceration of Kanu is a product of the Nigerian government’s disregard for its own laws.
According to the statement, Kanu has already been discharged and acquitted by a competent court on the charges being revisited by Justice James Omotosho in October. IPOB argued that any further trial amounts to double jeopardy, which is prohibited under the Nigerian Constitution.
The group further faulted the Federal Government for prosecuting Kanu under the repealed Terrorism Prevention Amendment Act 2013, describing the move as unconstitutional and embarrassing to the judiciary.
IPOB also accused the government of relying on civil ex parte orders to impose criminal liability on Kanu, in violation of Section 36 of the Constitution which guarantees fair hearing. Additionally, it maintained that Nigeria lacked jurisdiction to try Kanu without approval from a Kenyan court, as required under the Terrorism Prevention Act 2022.
“The problem is not IPOB,” the statement read. “The problem is a government that refuses to abide by its own Constitution and statutory laws, aided by judges who bend the law to serve political ends. Instead of attacking IPOB, Onoh and others should channel their voices toward holding Nigeria and Britain accountable for the lawlessness that has kept Mazi Nnamdi Kanu incarcerated for nearly five years without lawful basis.”
IPOB reiterated its commitment to defending its leader with “facts, law, and truth” until justice is achieved.
