By PAMELA EBOH, Awka

The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has rejected further Court trial of its leader in the Nigeria Court system.

IPOB stated this in a statement signed by its media and publicity secretary, Emma Powerful and made available to News Express on Thursday.

The group said It stands by the judgment of the Appeals Court, which ordered that its Leader,Mazi Nnamdi Kanu should not to be tried again in any Nigerian court.

According to the group, the Supreme Court Judges agreed with them but lacked the courage and integrity to uphold the Appeals Court judgment.

The statement partly read, “The public should recall that the Supreme Court Justices on December 15, 2023, sent thecase of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu back to the High Court in what was referred to as a compromised judgment. The same High Court fixed February 8, 2024, to commence hearing on the unknown matter.

“Sadly, the same Federal government that is persecuting Mazi Nnamdi Kanu is refusing to make an appearance at the same Abuja High Court hearing on the 8^thof February 2024.

“The refusal of the lawless federal government to appear in the court on that day for continuation of their kangaroo trial is evident that they do not have a case against Mazi Nnamdi Kanu.

“The wicked and corrupt Supreme Court Justices were part of the oppressors and persecutors of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu. IPOB leadership has reviewed the actions of lawless Nigeria Government and the corrupt judiciary and totally reject further trial of our leader in their High Court.

“The Federal Government of Nigeria, headed by President Ahmed Bola Tinubu, knew why his Attorney General has scrapped the commencement of their appearance for the botched February 8 Abuja High Court trial against Mazi Nnamdi Kanu. They know very well that they have no case against him.

“They are just utilizing the weak and bastardized instrumentality of the law in Nigeria to detain and persecute him indefinitely. The wicked persecution of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu and other innocent IPOB members will continue to destroy Nigeria’s image locally and internationally.

The group called on President Ahmed Bola Tinubu to release Mazi Nnamdi Kanu unconditionally, insisting that self-determination is lawful domestically and internationally.

“President Tinubu must not continue with the ethnic bigotry of the Fulani Caliphate against Ndigbo. Moreover, the rampaging and murderous activities of the Fulani jihadists and terrorists across the country has shown that Mazi Nnamdi Kanu and IPOB need to be commended not persecuted for exposing the agenda of the Jihadists, and for leading the Biafra Self Determination effort to divide Nigeria in order to save lives.”

“If not for Kanu’s agitation for Biafra, the Nigeria State would have been Islamised during late Mohamadu Buhari’s regime. We are interested in the self-preservation of Biafrans from marauding terrorists jihadists. Biafra liberation is a divine project that not even the late President Mohamadu Buhari nor President Tinubu or anyone else can stop it’s actualization.

“Our leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, was illegally abducted and detained for almost 2 years between 2015 and 2017. In 2021, our leader was again abuducted, tortured, and extra ordinarily renditioned to Nigeria.

“For almost three years now since 2021, our leader has again been remanded to solitary confinement in the Nigeria DSS dungeon, which adds up to 5 years in total. He was granted bail by the Abuja High Court in 2017. While he was still enjoying his bail, the battalions of the Nigerian murderous military invaded his home on September 14, 2017, to assassinate him. Mazi Nnamdi Kanu escaped the assassination attempt, but unfortunately, more than 28 persons, including IPOB members and Mazi Nnamdi Kanu’s relatives, were assassinated in the process.

“Mazi Nnamdi Kanu fled outside Nigeria for safety since the same government that granted him bail was the same government that came to assassinate him. The Federal Government not satisfied with Mazi Nnamdi Kanu being alive, used her secret security agents in collaboration with other International secret agents and went to Kenya kidnapped, tortured, and illegally detained him in a private residence for 8 days, and later extraordinarily renditioned him to Nigeria blindfolded.

“For almost 3 years, the Federal Government of Nigeria has illegally detained and persecuted him for championing the Biafra Self Determination movement’, IPOB stated.

The group further said that irrespective of all the judiciary rigmarole, that eventually, some courageous Honourable Justices in the Nigerian Appeals Court in Abuja on October 13, 2022, delivered a landmark Judgment that history will never forget.

According to IPOB, the Court, in its ruling, discharged and acquitted Mazi Nnamdi Kanu of all the trumped-up charges based on the illegal abduction and extraordinary rendition by the Nigerian government.

It said that instead of the Nigeria government obeying the ruling of the Court of Appeals, they decided to intimidate the honourable Justices by transferring them out of Abuja jurisdiction to different areas of the country.

It also accused the Nigerian government of selecting their own corrupt Justices for the same Court of Appeal that set aside the previous judgment that discharged our leader to ask for a stay of execution of the Appeal Court’s judgment.

IPOB appealed to the Supreme Court to remedy the abuse of the judicial process by the federal government in selecting corrupt justices to replace the ones that they transferred, noting that the Supreme Court judgment acknowledged that:

“The abduction and extraordinary rendition of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu was illegal.

“The Court acknowledged that the invasion of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu’s home in 2017 was an assassination attempt on his person.

“The court acknowledged that Mazi Nnamdi Kanu did not jump bail.

“However, the heavily prejudice induced Supreme Court Justices failed to make an appropriate order in line with their findings enumerated above.

“They also failed to deliver the appropriate judgment in line with the violation of the extradiction order act, which is an international crime.Instead, the compromised Supreme Court Justices transferred the case back to the High Court. This treacherous actions of referring the case back to High Court and non- appearance of the Federal Government to the High Court hearing on February 8, 2024, shows that the Nigeria Government is not interested in any legal trial of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu.

“They understand the illegality they are engaging in. They are only punishing Mazi Nnamdi Kanu for daring to champion the Biafra Self Determination movement.

“In view of the above scenarios and other considerations, the IPOB family worldwide, therefore, rejects further court trial of our leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu and demand for his immediate and unconditionally release as well as the release of all other innocent IPOB members in various detention facilities across Nigeria.

“No amount of illegal abduction, detention, extrajudicial murder and forceful disappearance will stop the quest for Biafra independence and the call for a referendum. IPOB has come to restore Biafra, and it is either Biafra or Biafra. That is our oath of allegiance to the Biafra Nation And our oath of honour to all those who have fallen in the course of our match to freedom.”