•Carpets Court of Appeal President for transferring three justices who determined appeal by IPOB Leader

Blasting the apex court and the Court of Appeal for even admitting the appeal filed by President Muhammadu Buhari and the disrespectful application for stay of execution against a clearly binding verdict of the Court freeing Nnamdi Kanu, the detained leader of the indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB), A civil society group, Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA), had told the hierarchy of the court system that they are destroying the judicial arm of government for their selfish reasons by letting federal government impugn the integrity of the court system in clear breach of section 6 of the Nigerian Constitution.

Besides, HURIWA has expressed disappointment that rather than mount pressure on President Buhari to honour his constitutional Oath of office and obey a binding judgment of a competent court of jurisdiction, the apex Igbo cultural group –Ohanaeze is going cap- in-hand to Aso Rock Villa to beg for political solution as if the courts are no longer relevant.

HURIWA has also carpeted the hierarchy of the Appellate court for becoming political by sending on transfer from Abuja, the justices that courageously determined the appeal by Nnamdi Kanu and quashed all charges initiated illegally by Abubakar Malami,Buhari’s Attorney-General.

“We expected all right-thinking Nigerians to initiate international and local advocacy campaigns for the sake of the image of Nigeria and the health and well being of the judicial arm of government to get president Buhari to obey the Appeal Court and free Nnamdi Kanu before appealing at the Supreme Court, some politicians and the Igbo socio-cultural respected global body – the Ohanaeze Ndi Igbo is begging Buhari to release Nnamdi Kanu who is already suffering from suspected terminal health challenges allegedly contracted whilst in detention. HURIWA said her intervention on this matter is on the side of justice and constitutionalism and not about the ethnicity of the detained leader of IPOB, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu.

HURIWA recalled that the President-General of the apex Igbo body, Prof. George Obiozor, has reached out to the Presidency for a possible meeting. President Buhari had in previous meetings with delegations of Igbo elders told them that he would not interfere with the judicial process, urging them to allow the court decide Kanu’s fate. Though the Ohanaeze National Secretariat would not speak on the effort made so far, two Igbo elders, Chief Chukwuemeka Ezeife and First Republic Minister of Aviation, Chief Mbazulike Amechi, in separate interviews, hinted of behind-the-scene moves to secure Kanu’s release.

The South East caucuses in both chambers of the National Assembly, last week, also appealed to government to release the IPOB leader.

On a very sad note, HURIWA recalled that the three Justices that sat on the Court of Appeal panel that quashed the 15-count terrorism charge the Federal Government preferred against Kanu, have been transferred from their various divisions. Investigation by the media and verified by HURIWA revealed that the three appellate court justices were transferred, four days after they delivered the judgment that discharged the embattled IPOB leader. Whereas the presiding Justice, Jummai Hanatu Sankey, who was hitherto in the Gombe Division of the court, has been moved to Awka Division, Justice Oludotun Adetope-Okojie who delivered the lead judgment, was transferred to Owerri, while the third member of the panel, Justice Ebiowei Tobi, was moved to Gombe. A memo dated October 17, which was signed by the President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Monica Dongban-Mensem, stressed that the new posting for the justices was with immediate effect as they were expected to report to their new stations by October 21.

HURIWA is therefore reminding the President of the Court of Appeal who has now decided to be a politician by witch-hunting justices of her Court for deciding a matter by Nnamdi Kanu purely on point of law and not point of Arewa sentiments, warning that “history does not forget any act of treachery whatever and whenever it happens.”