ECOWAS COURT DISMISSES FG'S OBJECTION TO KANU'S SUIT

The Federal Govern­ment has lost the bid to stop the Econom­ic Community of West African States (ECOW­AS) Court from entertaining the case filed by the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB) lead­er, Nnamdi Kanu, on the vio­lation of his fundamental hu­man rights.

In a ruling on the prelim­inary objection filed by the Federal Government to Kanu’s prayers, Justice Micha Wright of the ECOWAS Court held that the action was “lame and frivolous” and cannot enjoy any form of support from the Bench.

On behalf of Kanu, IPOB had filed a fundamental right enforcement suit against the government at the sub-region­al court, praying for an order of the court directing the Pres­ident Muhammadu Buhari ad­ministration to comply with two court orders on the release of Kanu and payment of $800 million as damages.

Kanu has been in detention since October 2015 and several courts have ordered his release, but he is still held at the Kuje Medium Prison in Abuja by the Federal Government.

Before the ECOWAS Court, the government filed a prelim­inary objection challenging the competence and merit of the suit. It argued that Kanu lacks the competence to bring the matter before the court because the subject of the suit is still pending in the domestic courts.

The government therefore urged the court to dismiss the suit for lacking merit.

But the court, instead, dis­missed the application for lack­ing in merit and ordered that the matter be placed for defi­nite hearing.

The case was thereafter ad­journed till April 27, 2017 for the hearing of the substan­tive suit for the enforcement of Kanu’s fundamental right. The court directed all the parties to refrain from any form of excus­es or delay tactics.

Joined in the suit are the Attorney-General of the Fed­eration and Minister of Justice and the Director-General of the Department of State Servic­es (DSS).

Kanu was arrested on Octo­ber 18, 2015 and subsequently detained by the DSS in Abuja.

IPOB warns S/East, S/South govs against sabotag­ing his release

Meanwhile, IPOB has warned governors and poli­ticians in the South East and South-South geopolitical zones against sabotaging the renewed efforts to secure the release of Kanu.

In a press statement issued on Tuesday by IPOB Media and Publicity Officer, Emma Power­ful, the group also appealed to the governors and politicians not to work against the strug­gle for the Biafra Republic.

IPOB, in the statement ti­tled: “The Last Warning to Pol­iticians in the Land”, threatened that anybody who connived with the “enemies to frustrate the agitation for Biafra would regret such actions one day.”

Powerful said: “IPOB and its leadership worldwide have decided to issue a last warning to South East and South-South politicians, some traditional rul­ers and unscrupulous elements among us, who took it upon themselves to sabotage the ef­forts by IPOB under the leader­ship of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu to restore Biafra.

“It has become absolutely necessary to warn political ac­tors of varied shades and char­acters such as traditional rulers and politicians, who have been identified as enemies of pro­gress, to desist forthwith from sabotaging our people’s free­dom which is around the corner.

“We note the frenzy of ac­tivities presently ongoing as al­most everybody is keying into the correct line of identifying with the truth by calling for the immediate release of our lead­er and the prophet of our time Mazi Nnamdi Kanu and others detained illegally in all the pris­ons and security cells across the country”.

Some South East and South-South leaders, led by for­mer Central Bank of Nigerian (CBN) Governor, Prof. Chuk­wuma Soludo and Prof. Pat Utomi, recently visited Kanu in prison and promised to work for his release from detention.