WAR!!! SULTAN OF SOKOTO- AGRUEMENT & TELLS BUHARI RELEASE NNAMDI
KANU NOW….SEE.
The Federal Government has arraigned
the Director of Radio Biafra, Mr. Nnamdi Kanu, before an Abuja Magistrate’s
Court over terrorism- related charges. The court had, last Wednesday, ordered
the Department of State Services (DSS) to produce Nnamdi in court unfailingly
on Monday. At the resumed trial yesterday, the accused pleaded not guilty to
the three-count charge slammed on him.
After that, the DSS asked the court
to allow it file another charge bothering on terrorism against Kanu before a
higher court. In the pending charge, Kanu is being arraigned on a three-count
charge of criminal conspiracy, intimidation and belonging to unlawful society.
Moving the application for filing a fresh charge, prosecution counsel, Moses
Idakwo, informed the court that after the arraignment of the accused, the
complainant stumbled on some facts, which took the matter out of the
jurisdiction of the court. He further submitted that the complainant found out
that the accused was involved in terrorism and has been financing it.
It was on that ground that the
prosecution applied for the discontinuance of the trial pursuant to Section
108(1) of administration of criminal justice act 2015. The prosecution further
informed the court that the DSS had obtained an order from the Federal High
Court, Abuja, dated November 10, to detain the accused in its custody for 90
days. However, counsel to Kanu, Vincent Obetta opposed the application and
prayed the court not to discontinue the case because the prosecution did not
present any information from the Attorney-General of Federation who had the
authority to approve such.
He further submitted that the DSS
violated the order of the court, which granted bail that was perfected but not
granted, adding that the accused had been in DSS custody since he was arrested.
After listening to the submissions of both parties, the trial magistrate, Mr.
Usman Shuaibu, adjourned the matter till December 1 for ruling. Meanwhile, the
commercial nerve centre of Anambra State, Onitsha, was yesterday agog as
members of the Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra
(MASSOB) and Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) took over the streets demanding
the release of Kanu. The members, numbering over 100,000 youths, marched
through Onitsha Bridge Head to Upper Iweka through Borromeow junction to Nkpor
old road under the watchful eyes of the Nigerian Police and other security
operatives.
They carried placards with
inscriptions such as “Release Nnamdi Kanu or we are ready to die. Also,
thousands of protesters trooped to the streets and shut down business
activities in Aba, Abia State yesterday. The protesters carried placards with
inscriptions: “The mass protest is not for marginalisation, we are not
Nigerians,” “All we are saying, give us Biafra. The markets, especially
Ariaria International Market, were shut down as traders joined in the protest,
which they said was for the unconditional release of Kanu.
Comrade Nnamdi Igwe said the protest
was to drum into the ears of the Federal Government and the judiciary that both
MASSOB and IPOB should not be taken for granted. He warned that all the
necessary documentations must be completed to ensure that Kanu is brought to
court. In a related development, the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad
Abubakar yesterday expressed concern over the agitation for the actualisation
of Biafra in the South- East by some groups and called for the release of
Nnamdi Kanu. According to him, only dialogue will bring a lasting solution to
the Biafra agitation.Speaking at the 2nd General Assembly of the Northern
Traditional Rulers’ Council in Kaduna, Abubakar said: We are very much
concerned about this issue because we know we have millions of Igbo residing
with us in our homes, in our towns and in our states.
According to him, the Igbo that are
living in the north “are very peaceful, very industrious and are helping our
communities and helping our economy to grow and so many of them as we know,
keep telling us that they have nowhere else to live than where they are
presently living. The Sultan, who said that traditional rulers in the North are
very concerned about the agitation for Biafra, promised to “set up a small
committee of senior traditional rulers to go down to South-East and engage our
brothers there (traditional rulers) so that we will know how we can help to
stop this agitation.The Sultan commended some of the Igbo leaders and governors
who condemned the agitation. We believe in dialogue, whatever the problem is
with anybody, we believe we should sit down and discuss and a solution will be
found,he said.
The paramount traditional and
religious leader also asked the Northern state governors to find out the
whereabouts of the billions of naira donated for the Internally Displaced
Person (IDPs). The Sultan promised that the issue would be discussed
extensively when the meeting goes into a closed-door session.He lamented that
“people are suffering, billions and billions of naira has been collected or put
aside for their welfare, but what we hear everyday and what we see on the pages
of newspapers is very bad.It is important that this money be disbursed
immediately via the state governors.” According to him, the billions of naira
collected must be utilized now because when somebody dies, he does not need
anything again except prayers. So, since they are still alive, lets feel for
these IDPs; they are our brothers and sisters.
We must feel for them.
We must feel for them.
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