Nnamdi Kanu a metaphor for Igbo struggle for self determination _ Ozekhome
A Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Chief Mike Ozekhome, who is the lawyer to the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Mr Nnamdi Kanu has written a letter to President Muhamadu Buhariurging him to order the immediate release of his client through what he called a more productive political solution.
Ozekhome disclosed this when he appeared as a guest on Arise television on Tuesday and made reference as well to Sunday Igboho saying both individuals have become a metaphor for the self-determination of their people.
In the petition to President Buhari, he wants the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation, Malami to enter into a non-proseqi which he said is to correct a long-standing injustice.
”I wrote to the president a 38-page letter with an executive summary of 3 pages pleading with Mr President to please release Nnamdi Kanu immediately and unconditionally because his case is a political trial because as the facts have shown and as far as l am concerned as his lawyer Nnamdi Kanu is a metaphor for self-determination of the Igbo struggle.
“Self-determination is recognised as a right by several international instruments like the UN charter, section 1 of the African charter et cetera. This is how Nnamdi Kanu founded IPOB as a nonviolent group until the Nigerian Army through operation Python Dance routed the group.
“I have made this appeal to the president to use extra-judicial means as in section 174 of the 1999 Nigerian constitution as amended to enter a non-prosequitory for Nnamdi Kanu.
He referred to the earlier ruling by the UN that asked the Nigerian government to release him unconditionally but it has not been effected. He said Nigeria ought to obey the ruling as a signatory to the UN charter.
Again, he based his request on the grounds that the charges leveled against Kanu are baseless describing them as ridiculous which is why he caused the initial 15 counts to charge preferred against him to drop to 7 and which he has appealed at the court of Appeal to strike it out.
And when reminded that President Buhari has said that he does not want to meddle in the affairs of the court, the Senior Advocate of Nigeria said that since it is a political case, as the president who appointed the Attorney General of the Federation he can order him using his executive power derived from section 5 of the Nigerian constitution. He argued that it is not meddling but simply instructing the Attorney General to do the needful under section 174 of the Nigerian constitution.
