From Okey Sampson, Umuahia
Emmanuel Kanu, Brother to the detained Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) leader, Nnamdi Kanu, has accused President Bola Tinubu of reneging on his promise to release the IPOB leader if he became president.
Emmanuel, in a statement, said before the last election, he met with Seyi, President Tinubu’s son, who assured him that Tinubu had pledged to release Kanu if he became president.
“The meeting was held in Abuja in the presence of another individual whom I asked along to witness the deliberations and if need be provide independent verification should the need arise.
“Seyi confirmed to me that his father sanctioned the meeting and that I should consider any agreement we reached as binding on the then candidate Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
“In good faith, we agreed that I shall relay the outcome to my brother to reinforce the long held tradition of IPOB not interfering with the conduct of elections, either through boycott or any other form of civil disobedience.
“This understanding was duly communicated to my brother and he reaffirmed his commitment not to stop the elections or order any boycott. When President Tinubu as a candidate visited Owerri during his campaign, he too reiterated his commitment to facilitate the release of my brother if elected. We took his public statement as a tacit reaffirmation of the understanding I reached with his son, Seyi.”
Emmanuel said IPOB kept it’s own part of the agreement by not calling for election boycott despite having the capacity to do so.
“It therefore defies logic that nearly two years after President Tinubu assumed the mantle of leadership in Nigeria, my brother is still in detention despite not having any charge against him.
“It’s been over three months now that Justice Binta Nyako recused herself from the case, yet no new judge has been assigned the case. This is on top of the fact that Appeal Court had earlier discharged him of the sham charges and ordered his release, which the previous regime of ex-President Muhammadu Buhari declined to obey.
“The truth is that Nigerian courts cannot, will not and does not have both the substantive and procedural jurisdiction to try him. His detention is without the backing of any known law in Nigeria or elsewhere in the world.