Terrorism: IPoB, MASSOB, Umuahia North traditional rulers reject Nnamdi Kanu’s conviction

•Say, he’s a freedom fighter, not a terrorist

By Anayo Okoli, Regional Editor, South East; Chidi Nkwopara; Chimaobi Nwaiwu; Nwabueze Okonkwo; Steve Oko & Emmanuel Iheaka

The Indigenous People of Biafra, IPoB, the Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra, MASSOB and the Umuahia North Traditional Rulers Council, Abia State yesterday rejected the conviction and life imprisonment sentence handed down to IPoB leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, by Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court Abuja, on Thursday.

In their separate reactions yesterday, they said, Nnamdi Kanu was a freedom fighter and not a terrorist

Justice Omotosho, in his judgment found Kanu guilty of all seven counts terrorism charges the Federal Government preferred against him. IpoB, in its reaction described the life jail sentence of its leader as a judicial absurdity and legal impossibility.

Kanu remains a prisoner of conscience — IPoB

In a statement by its Media and Publicity Secretary, Emma Powerful on Friday, IPoB said that it shall in the coming days and weeks, lay bare the fundamental defects, contradictions, and illegalities in the judgment. According to the statement, “For the avoidance of doubt, no gun, no grenade, no GPMG, no explosive, and no attack plan was ever found on Mazi Nnamdi Kanu. No witness, civilian or military, ever testified before any court at any stage that Mazi Nnamdi Kanu committed any offense known to Nigerian or international law. This is an undeniable fact. The only offence the Nigerian government is claiming against Nnamdi Kanu is seeking for self determination which is not a crime anywhere in the world.

The only thing the Nigerian government continues to criminalize is self-determination, a right guaranteed under Article 20 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, Article 1 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), and Article 1 of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR). Self-determination is a protected right, not a crime. Agitation is not terrorism, and requesting a referendum is not a weapon.

“Meanwhile, the politically manufactured insecurity in the South-East escalated while Mazi Nnamdi Kanu was in solitary confinement at the DSS facility, cut off from the outside world. No honest observer can attribute to him acts that occurred while he was physically incapable of involvement.

“This is no longer merely a Biafra issue. It is a human rights issue. It is a constitutional issue. It is an international law issue. And it is a test of whether Nigeria respects the rule of law or has descended into full judicial authoritarianism. Mazi Nnamdi Kanu remains a prisoner of conscience, a victim of extraordinary rendition, and the target of a political persecution orchestrated by the Nigerian state. No amount of judicial contortion can change the truth”.

This isn’t judgment but vengeance — MASSOB

MASSOB in a statement by its leader, Uchenna Madu, expressed disappointment over the judgment, saying “it’s unacceptable to the group. MASSOB accused the federal government of pursuing a premeditated and dangerous agenda against Ndigbo. MASSOB wondered how a Boko Haram leader responsible for the death of many innocent Nigerians was sentenced to five years in prison, 24 hours before the same Federal High Court Abuja slammed life sentence on Kanu. MASSOB claimed that Kanu was under persecution for exposing the agenda of Islamic fundamentalists against Nigeria.

“The real crime of Mazi was his bold exposure of the radical Islamic jihad consuming Nigeria and the government’s symbiotic relationship with the Islamic jihadist”, it said and called on the United States of America to help get Justice for Kanu and marginalised Igbo nation.

Also reacting, the President, Eastern Nigeria Development Association, ENDA, Charles Obinna Chukwunaru, said, “The international community has categorically rejected the Nigerian establishment’s attempt to label Mazi Nnamdi Kanu a terrorist. Instead, he is widely recognized as a separatist leader. A diligent examination of major international headlines suggests that the Nigerian government has inadvertently enhanced Mazi Nnamdi Kanu’s stature as a prominent separatist leader”.

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