The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), has rejected the promise of the Anambra State Governor, Prof Chukwuma Soludo, to stand as surety for its leader, Nnamdi Kanu.
Anambra State governor, Prof Chukwuma Soludo, had during the 2023 rally of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) at the weekend appealed to the Federal Government to release Nnamdi Kanu unconditionally.
Soludo said, “I am making a passionate appeal to the Federal Government to release Mazi Nnamdi Kanu unconditionally. If he cannot be released unconditionally, I want him be released to me and I will stand surety for him”
Reacting to the development on Monday in a statement by its media and publicity secretary, Emma Powerful, the secessionist group averred that its detained leader was innocent of all the offences preferred against him and therefore would not need any type of surety to be released.
It maintained that the Court of Appeal judgement that freed Kanu from all the charges against him was all that he needed to be discharged and acquitted.
IPOB said Soludo’s call should rather end at calling on the Federal Government to respect its own court by releasing Kanu, unconditionally.
The separatists’ statement read in part,
“We welcome the call by the Governor of Anambra State-Governor Charles Soludo for the unconditional release of our leader Nnamdi Kanu. But the said call for the unconditional release of our leader is belated, and coming three months and one day, after the Court of Appeal, Abuja judicial division, in its erudite judgement delivered on the 13th day of October 2022, discharged and acquitted the leader of IPOB and all the remaining 8-Count amended charge preferred against him.
“The court consequently directed for his unconditional release in the landmark judgement. It further prohibited the Federal Government of Nigeria from further detaining our leader or even presenting him for trial on any indictment or offence whatsoever before any court in Nigeria.”
“It is important therefore, to clarify that our leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu has no form of indictment or even charge pending against him today before any court by the authority of this Judgement.
“The issue of granting bail or otherwise does not arise by any stretch of consideration or imagination, because it is the Federal Government that is today in breach of this order of superior court of competent Jurisdiction.
“It is to be emphasized further that onyendu who was discharged on the 13th Day of October 2022, by the court of appeal court does not have any need for surety because there is no charge hanging on his neck today.
“We have gone beyond issue of surety or no surety, every genuine call/demand in the prevailing circumstance should be firmly directed at calling on the Federal Government of Nigeria to immediately obey the order for the unconditional release of ‘Onyendu’ made by its own court.
“May we also remind Governor Soludo and others, that Onyendu’s current incarceration is not sanctioned by any law known to man, it is unconstitutional and affront to constitutional democracy and rule of law.”
The group said Soludo’s kind of plea is the reason rulers of Nigeria have no regard for the rule of law.
“Why should we be pleading with them to obey their own court orders directing for the unconditional release of Onyendu. It’s compelling and mandatory on their part to obey their own court orders.”