The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), on Wednesday, accused Justice
Binta Murtala Nyako of ethnic bias and religious bigotry, alleging that
the stringent bail conditions handed to their leader, Nnamdi Kanu, was
scripted by President Muhammadu Buhari.
They alleged that the conditions were meant to ensure that Kanu never breathes the air of freedom.
In
statement signed by IPOB spokespersons, Barrister Emma Mmezu and Dr.
Clifford Chukwuema Iroanya, the pro-Biafran group said the bail
condition were not only defective, but also smirks of judicial
recklessness, rascality, and reeks of tribal and religious bigotry.
The
group said the bail conditions were booby traps to perpetually gag,
ensnare, and render lame duck, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, whose only crime was
the peaceful demand for the enforcement of the rights of Indigenous
People of Biafra to self-determination as enshrined in the 2007 United
Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People (UNDRIP).
“From
these bail conditions deviously handed out by Justice Binta
Murtala-Nyako, it is obvious that this is a case of the voice of Jacob
and the hands of Esau. In other words, those bail conditions were
written by Retired Major General Muhammadu Buhari and handed over to
Justice Binta Murtala-Nyako to read out in court. We therefore, call
upon the Chief Justice of Nigeria to intervene and salvage whatever
remains of the tattered image of the Nigerian Judiciary.
“Justice
Binta Murtala-Nyako has turned the Judiciary on its head with these
laughable and ludicrous bail conditions. She has made history in the
Nigerian Judicial System as the first Judge to introduce religion and
tribe into bail conditions in a non-religious court case. Justice Binta
Murtala-Nyako has defamed the Nigerian Judicial System by violating the
fundamental human rights of an accused person as stipulated in the
various United Nations Conventions as well as in the relevant sections
of Chapter Four of the Retired General Abdulsalami Abubakar-unilaterally
written Constitution of Nigeria”
“Of
what use is granting someone bail on health grounds while at the same
time refusing the person to travel to any place in the world where he or
she wishes to have satisfactory medical services? Why should Justice
Binta Murtala-Nyako restrict Nnamdi Kanu to receiving medical treatments
only in Nigeria through the seizure of his International Passports?
What has Nnamdi Kanu attending any rally got to do with the ongoing
court case? If in the process of receiving medical treatments, the
physician determined that Nnamdi Kanu should be put on bed rest, so
should the bail be revoked because he will not avail himself of trial at
all times?
“We can confirm from the immediate family of Nnamdi
Kanu that his official religion is Christianity, hence we are at loss on
why a respected Jewish leader must be one of the sureties. As far as we
know, Nnamdi Kanu has British and Nigerian passports, so why stipulate a
respected Jewish leader as one of the sureties? Secondly, why specify
that another surety must be of Igbo extraction? Is Igbo the only tribe
in Biafra or in Nigeria for that matter? Has there been any precedence
where a surety was required to come from a particular tribe?“
“These
bail conditions are laughable and defective and must be totally
overturned. In addition to granting an unconditional release to Nnamdi
Kanu, we demand that the other three detained Biafrans, namely
Chidiebere Onwudiwe, Benjamin Madubugwu, and David Nwawuisi must also be
released unconditionally. Nothing less will be acceptable to Biafrans.
Justice Binta Murtala-Nyako must jettison the bail conditions she handed
out to Mazi Nnamdi Kanu and proceed to unconditionally release all four
Biafrans immediately“ the group said.
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