Nnamdi Kanu, the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), has issued a bold open letter declaring that he would prefer to remain in detention for the rest of his life rather than face a trial by what he considers a corrupt and biased court. The letter was made public through his Special Counsel, Barrister Aloy Ejimakor, as Kanu continues to be held at the Department of State Services (DSS).
In his letter, Kanu stated, “I would rather remain in detention for the rest of my life than be tried by a corrupt and biased court or judge.” He emphasized his stance, saying, “If it will take the rest of my life in detention to produce me before a proper and impartial court, so be it.” He firmly declared, “I will not succumb to any trial conducted by any judge or court whose jurisdiction does not pass constitutional muster. Not now, not ever.”
Kanu explained the motivation behind his letter, stating, “I have been compelled by the events of the past few days to take the unusual step of writing this Open Letter for the singular purpose of calling the attention of the general public to the serial executive and judicial fraud being perpetrated against me since my extraordinary rendition in 2021.”
He referenced a significant ruling from March 1, 2017, by the Federal High Court in Abuja, which declared that “the IPOB is not an unlawful group.” Kanu noted that this ruling required “proof beyond reasonable doubt” in the criminal proceedings involving himself and the federal government.
Kanu criticized the government’s actions following this ruling, stating, “Instead of the federal government to go on appeal as the law mandated, the former Attorney-General, Abubakar Malami, went behind closed doors with a letter signed by late Abba Kyari and got IPOB proscribed/tagged a terrorist group in an ex parte proceeding conducted without notice to me or to the IPOB.”
He recalled a Federal High Court ruling on October 26, 2022, which declared his extraordinary rendition and detention unconstitutional. Kanu quoted the court, stating, “The manner of arrest and detention of the Applicant (Mazi Nnamdi Kanu) in Kenya, his continued detention in Abuja, his subjection to physical and mental trauma by the Respondents… amounts to a brazen violation of the Applicant’s fundamental right to dignity of his person.”
Kanu concluded by emphasizing, “In a responsible and well-ordered society, run by a responsible government, this judgment is sufficient to have ended my lengthy detention and encourage the federal government to constructively engage me on the issue of the self-determination agitation that triggered this whole saga.”
His letter serves as a stark reminder of the ongoing struggle for justice and the treatment of detainees in Nigeria.
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