IPOB disagrees with Kanu’s family over Soludo’s offer to stand surety for Biafran leader

Outlawed Igbo secessionist group, Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), has distanced itself from the stance of the family of its embattled leader, Nnamdi Kanu, over an offer made by Anambra State Governor, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, to the Nigerian government to stand as surety for its incarcerated leader, Nnamdi Kanu, if the government is willing to release him.

While the Kanu family welcomed the offer by Soludo to the Federal Government to stand as Kanu’s surety, IPOB said in a statement that it has rejected the offer.

In the statement on Monday by IPOB’s Media and Publicity Secretary, Emma Powerful, the group said due to various court rulings which have discharged and acquitted Kanu of every charge against him, Kanu was a free man and does not need any surety for his bail to be passed.

The group however, said the call by Soludo should rather be for the federal government to respect its own court and grant the detained Biafran agitator freedom.

Soludo had, on Saturday in Awka, during the campaign kick-off of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), called on President Muhammadu Buhari to release Kanu and that he would gladly stand as a surety for the IPOB leader if he cannot be released unconditionally.

“I am making a passionate appeal to the Federal Government to release Mazi Nnamdi Kanu unconditionally.

“If he cannot be released unconditionally, I want him released to me and I will stand surety for him,” he has said.

The appeal by Soludo had gotten Kanu’s family excited with one of his brothers, Mazi Kanunta Kanu, expressing the family’s gratitude to the Anambra governor.

Posting on his Twitter handle, Kanunta wrote:

“@CCSoludo Governor Anambra state. The Kanu family is grateful,” he tweeted.

However, the expression of gratitude from Kanu’s family to Soludo was not a welcome development for IPOB.

Read also:Kanu’s health worsening, may die in detention, medical group raises alarm

IPOB’s statement reads:

“We welcome the call by the Governor of Anambra State-Governor Charles Soludo for the unconditional release of our leader Mazi Nnamdi Kanu” the statement said.

“But the said call for the unconditional release of our leader is belated, and coming three months and one day after the Court of Appeal, Abuja judicial division, in its erudite judgement delivered on the 13th day of October 2022, discharged and acquitted the leader of IPOB and all the remaining 8-Count amended charge preferred against him.

“The court consequently directed for his unconditional release in the landmark judgement. It further prohibited the Federal Government of Nigeria from further detaining our leader or even presenting him for trial on any indictment or offence whatsoever before any court in Nigeria.

“It is important, therefore, to clarify that our leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu has no form of indictment or even charge pending against him today before any court by the authority of this judgement.

“The issue of granting bail or otherwise does not arise by any stretch of consideration or imagination, because it is the Federal Government that is today in breach of this order of superior court of competent jurisdiction.

“It is to be emphasized further that Onyendu, who was discharged on the 13th Day of October 2022, by the Court of Appeal does not have any need for surety because there is no charge hanging on his neck today.

“We have gone beyond the issue of surety or no surety, every genuine call/demand in the prevailing circumstance should be firmly directed at calling on the Federal Government of Nigeria to immediately obey the order for the unconditional release of ‘Onyendu’ made by its own court.

“May we also remind Governor Soludo and others that Onyendu’s current incarceration is not sanctioned by any law known to man, it is unconstitutional and affront to constitutional democracy and rule of law.

“Why should we be pleading with them to obey their own court orders directing for the unconditional release of Onyendu. It’s compelling and mandatory on their part to obey their own court orders,” the IPOB statement said.

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