Buhari heads to Supreme Court to justify Nnamdi Kanu continued detention

Buhari heads to Supreme Court to justify Nnamdi Kanu continued detention

A Court of Appeal judgement which freed the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) leader, Nnamdi Kanu has been appealed by the federal government at the Supreme Court.

In the appeal filed yesterday October 19, before the apex court by the office of the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF), the federal government asked the Supreme Court to stay the execution of the October 13 Court of Appeal judgment that freed the leader of the separatist group.

The federal government in the seven-ground notice of appeal, faulted the lower court’s decision and also asked that it be set aside.

The federal government claimed that the Court of Appeal erred when it faulted the manner Kanu was brought back to face trial after he jumped bail and fled the country.

It also claimed that the Court of Appeal erred when it struck out the pending charge against Kanu on the ground that the trial court no longer possessed the requisite jurisdiction to continue the trial because of the manner Kanu was returned to the country upon allegedly jumping bail.

A date for the hearing of the motion for the stay of execution is being awaited.

Mazi Nnamdi Kanu is the leader of the indigenous people of Biafra (IPOB) a group that has succeeded to group over the years with member from all over the world.

The group is determined to actualize the Free State of Biafra from the South East Region of Nigeria.

IPOB  aims to restore the Republic of Biafra, a country which seceded from Nigeria prior to the Nigerian Civil War (1967-1970) and later rejoined Nigeria after its defeat by the Nigerian military.

Over the years, IPOB and other Biafran separatist groups have been fighting a low-level guerilla conflict in southeastern Nigeria against the Nigerian government.

The group was founded in 2012 by Nnamdi Kanu, a British Nigerian political activist known for his advocacy of the contemporary Biafran independence movement. 

IPOB has criticized the Nigerian federal government for poor investment, political alienation, inequitable resource distribution, ethnic marginalization, and heavy military presence, extrajudicial killings in the South-Eastern, South-Central and parts of North-Central regions of the country. 

The organization rose to prominence in the mid-2010s and is now the largest Biafran independence organization by membership. In recent years, it has gained significant media attention for becoming a frequent target of political crackdowns by the Nigerian government. It also has numerous sites and communication channels serving as the only trusted social apparatus educating and inculcating first hand information and news to its members.