By Sakeenah Abdullateef
A delegation of Senators from the South East region of Nigeria, led by Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, met with the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Prince Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, to demand the release of Nnamdi Kanu, the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).
The meeting, held behind closed doors, saw Senator Abaribe expressing optimism that the AGF would persuade the Federal Government to release Kanu, whose continued detention has been linked to rising insecurity and agitations in the South East region.
Abaribe maintained that Kanu’s release was necessary to restore peace and stability to the region, as his detention has led to stagnation in social and economic activities.
The Senator revealed that he had previously met with Kanu at the Department of State Services (DSS) headquarters, where Kanu agreed to abide by any conditions set by the Federal Government for his release.
Abaribe had stood as surety for Kanu in the past, but was forced to forfeit the N100 million bail bond when Kanu escaped from the country in 2017.
The meeting between the Senators and the AGF comes on the heels of a resolution by South East Governors to approach President Bola Tinubu to beg for Kanu’s freedom.
Earlier, about 50 members of the House of Representatives from various parts of the country, urged President Tinubu to direct the AGF to invoke Section 174 of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, to terminate the terrorism-related charge that is pending against Kanu before the Abuja Division of the Federal High Court.
Kanu was first arrested in Lagos on October 14, 2015, upon his return to the country from the United Kingdom, UK.
Trial Justice Binta Nyako had on April 25, 2017, granted him bail on health grounds, after he had spent about 18 months in detention. However, midway into the trial, the IPOB leader escaped from the country after soldiers invaded his country home at Afara Ukwu Ibeku in Umuahia, Abia State, an operation that led to the death of some of his followers.
Kanu was later re-arrested in Kenya on June 19, 2021, and extraordinarily ferried back to the country by security agents on June 27, 2021.
Following the development, the trial court, on June 29, 2021, remanded him in custody of DSS, where he remained till date. On April 8, 2022, the court struck out eight out of the 15-count charge that FG preferred against him on the premise that they lacked substance. Likewise, the Abuja Division of the Court of Appeal, on October 13, 2022, ordered Kanu’s immediate release from detention even as it quashed the charge against him.
Dissatisfied with the decision, FG took the matter before the Supreme Court, even as it persuaded the appellate court to suspend the execution of the judgement, pending the determination of its appeal.
While deciding the appeal, the Supreme Court, on December 15, 2023, vacated the judgement of the appellate court and gave FG the nod to try the IPOB leader on the subsisting seven-count charge.
