ABUJA—The
Federal High Court in Abuja, yesterday, fixed October 17 to begin a full
hearing into the treasonable felony charge the Federal Government entered
against the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, Nnamdi Kanu.
Federal Government is prosecuting Kanu alongside three other pro-Biafra
agitators – Chidiebere Onwudiwe, Benjamin Madubugwu and David Nwawuisi. This is
just as the Movement for the Actualization of the Sovereign State of Biafra,
MASSOB ,yesterday said it has passed a vote of no confidence on the leadership
of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, following their alleged lack-lustre attitude towards the
affairs of Ndigbo and Biafrans in general.
The trial of
pro-Biafra agitators, which was originally billed to commence this week, was
shifted till October considering that the high court has embarked on its annual
vacation. The prosecution had in the charge marked FHC/ABJ/CR/383/2015, alleged
that Kanu, being the leader of IPOB, conspired with his co-defendants and
others now at large, on diverse dates in 2014 and 2015, in Nigeria and London,
to broadcast on Radio Biafra monitored in Enugu and other areas, preparations
for states in the South-East and South-South zones and other communities in
Kogi and Benue states, to secede from the Federal Republic of Nigeria, with a
view to constituting same into a Republic of Biafra. The defendants were said
to have committed an offence punishable under section 41(c) of the Criminal
Code Act, CAP. C38 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004. Though trial
Justice Binta Nyako had in a ruling on April 25 released Kanu on bail after he
had spent a year and seven months in detention, the court however okayed his
co-defendants to remain in prison custody. Justice Nyako said her decision to
release Kanu who is the 1st defendant, on bail, was on health ground. She cited
an affidavit that was attached to a bail application Kanu filed through his
lawyer, Mr. Ifeanyi Ejiofor. However, the IPOB leader was compelled to produce
three sureties, including “a jewish leader” and a “highly placed person of Igbo
extraction”, who all deposited N100 million each before he was granted
temporary freedom by the court. He was formally released to Senator Enyinnaya
Abaribe, a Jewish High Chief Priest, Immanuu-El Shalom and a Chartered
Accountant residing in Abuja, Mr. Tochukwu Uchendu, on April 28. As part of his
conditions for bail, Kanu was expressly barred by the court from attending any
rally or granting any form of interview. “I must stress it here that the
defendant must not attend any rally. He must not be in a crowd exceeding 10
persons”, the Judge warned. Justice Nyako held that Kanu who was arrested by
security operatives upon his arrival to Nigeria from the United Kingdom on
October 14, 2015, must sign an undertaken to make himself available for trial
at all times. He was further ordered to surrender his Nigerian and British
international passports, even as the court compelled the FG to return to him,
his wedding ring and reading glasses. Nevertheless, Kanu’s co-defendants were
denied bail by the court which described charges against them as “very
serious”. Justice Nyako said the fact that she earlier struck out terrorism
charges FG slammed against the defendants did not water-down the seriousness of
the charge of treasonable felony against them. The court had in a ruling on
March 1, struck out six out of the eleven charges FG initially entered against
Kanu and the others. Six of the charges were struck out on the premise that
they were not supported by the proof of evidence FG adduced before the court.
The court also rejected FG’s claim that the defendants were members of an
illegal organisation. Justice Nyako said the fact that IPOB was not an
organisation registered in Nigeria did not make it an illegal society. Kanu who
was hitherto the Director of Radio Biafra and Television, had through his
lawyers, insisted that IPOB was duly registered in over 30 countries including
the United Kingdom. He had on December 12, 2016, threatened in the open court
that he would in the course of the trial, expose secrets he said would sink
Nigeria. The defendants who are answering to a five-count charge equally
alleged plot by FG to import foreigners to testify against them. Kanu is facing
four out of the five count charges. The trial judge had earlier granted FG the
nod to shield identities of all the witnesses billed to testify in the matter.
The court directed that the witnesses who are mostly security operatives would
testify behind a screen or wear mask when the need arises, a decision the
defendants protested against, insisting that it was wrong for the court to
allow “masquerades” to give evidence against them. While dismissing some of the
previous charges against the defendants, Justice Nyako held that FG could not
establish any element of crime in its allegation that Kanu had between March
and April 2015, imported into Nigeria a radio Transmitter known as TRAM 50L and
kept it in a container that was left in custody of the 3rd defendant,
Madubugwu, at Ubuluisiuzor in Ihiala LGA of Anambra State. The court however
held that Kanu has a case to answer pertaining to allegation in count-four that
he lied that the Radio Transmitter was concealed in a container of used
household items which the defendant declared as unused household items. Whereas
the court struck out counts 3, 6, 7, 9, 10 and 11 of the charges, it however
sustained counts 1, 2, 4, 5 and 8. The sustained charges, to which all the
defendants entered a plea of not guilty to, border on conspiracy, treasonable
felony, publication of defamatory matter and Kanu’s alleged importation of
goods contrary and punishable under section 47(2) (a) of the Customs and Excise
Management Act, Cap C45, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004. In count
three of the pending charges, FG alleged that Kanu had in a broadcast he made
in London on April 28, 2015, through Radio Biafra, referred to President
Muhammadu Buhari as “a paedophile, a terrorist, an idiot and an embodiment of
evil”. Madubugwu was specifically accused of having in his possession at his
house, one Emerald Magnum Pump Action Gun with serial number TS 870- 113- 0046,
one Delta Magnum Pump Action Gun with serial number 501, and 41 Cartridges/
Ammunition, without lawful authority or licence. MASSOB passes vote of no
confidence on Ohanaeze Ndigbo MASSOB in a statement by its national Director of
Information, Comrade Edeson Samuel said they recently discovered that the
leadership of Ohanaeze Ndigbo whom they thought feels the pains of Ndigbo and
Biafrans are pursuing personal and egocentric desires. …Lauds governors meeting
“While, we disagree with the call for restructuring by Ohanaeze Ndigbo, MASSOB
wishes to commend the South-east, South-south governors for coming together for
their meeting held last Saturday in Enugu, even though the meeting to us was a
total failure. The governors have indeed, this time taken a bold step for
coming together which is important for the two regions. “The unity of these two
regions is very important for us. We urge these governors to reactivate the
dilapidated infrastructures and abandoned companies in the two regions, instead
of relying and waiting in vain on the Federal Government of Nigeria to site any
Federal Government project in these two regions, which it will not do because
the of the hatred for the people of these regions who are mostly Biafrans. “We,
the members of the Movement for the Actualization of the Sovereign State of
Biafra, MASSOB, under the leadership of Mazi Uchenna Madu have passed a vote of
no confidence on the leadership of Ohanaeze Ndigbo because of their lack-lustre
attitude towards the affairs of Ndigbo and Biafra in general. “These men, the
Ohanaeze Ndigbo leadership whom we thought feel our pains before now, have
shown us who they are and we have discovered that they are pursuing personal
and egocentric desires. We never knew before now that they are not working for
Ndigbo and Biafrans in general. “They want to destroy our future and in the
process, have destroyed their own future because of their immediate need to
enrich themselves. They have exposed themselves and we now know them better.”
According to MASSOB, “the leadership of Ohanaeze Ndigbo has proven that they
cannot be trusted. Their opposition against referendum has shown that they do
not have Igbo interest at heart. “While many respected Igbo leaders and leaders
from other parts of the country are clamouring for referendum, it is very clear
that the leadership of Ohanaeze Ndigbo has nothing to offer Ndigbo but using
the organization to get contracts from Abuja. “MASSOB is warning Ohanaeze
Ndigbo to retrace their steps towards Biafran issue because we will not allow
them to jeopardize our future and that of our children. A lot of blood has been
shed because of Biafra and we cannot let that blood be in vain. “MASSOB will
never accept restructuring because there is no amount of restructuring that
will save Nigeria from disintegration. ”The leadership of Ohanaeze Ndigbo has
failed Ndigbo completely. We are going to make Biafran land too hot for the
shameless, greedy, self centered politicians who cannot see the handwriting on
the wall.”
SOURCE: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2017/07/massob-passes-vote-no-confidence-ohanaeze-ndigbo-leadership-rejects-restructuring/
SOURCE: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2017/07/massob-passes-vote-no-confidence-ohanaeze-ndigbo-leadership-rejects-restructuring/
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