Disobedience of court order by Nigerian Govt keeping Nnamdi Kanu in detention – Abia community leader
A community leader in Afaraukwu Umuahia, Abia State, the hometown of Nnamdi Kanu, Chief Ikechukwu Ndubueze, has said the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, is still in detention because of the disobedience of court orders by the Nigerian government.
Ndubueze, the President General Emeritus of Afaraukwu Umuahia, made the assertion in a statement made available to newsmen on Saturday.
In the statement titled ‘Kanu, Sowore and the lies of Charles Ogbu’, Ndubueze countered claims made by a public affairs analyst, Ogbu, concerning the planned protest march to the Presidential Villa to demand Kanu’s release.
Ogbu had, in a write-up titled ‘Kanu, Sowore’s protest and the rest of us’, claimed that the planned protest march could delay Kanu’s release. However, Ndubueze insisted that the courts are not responsible for the IPOB leader’s continued detention. He also faulted Ogbu’s claims that Kanu was behind the insecurity in the South-East.
The statement read, “The whole truth about Kanu’s case: Charles Ogbu wants people to believe that Mazi Nnamdi Kanu’s matter is just a normal court case that is being delayed by his lawyers. That is a lie.
“The truth is this: the Appeal Court already discharged Kanu since October 2022. The judges said the way he was kidnapped from Kenya and brought to Nigeria was illegal and that no Nigerian court has the power to try him again. So there is no trial that anybody is “delaying”. What is keeping Kanu in detention now is disobedience to court order by the government. If this country was normal, he would have been home long ago.”
Ndubueze also faulted Ogbu’s comparison of Kanu’s trial to that of Simon Ekpa in Finland.
“Finland is not Nigeria: Ogbu compared Finland’s quick trial of Simon Ekpa to Kanu’s case. That makes no sense. Finland did not kidnap Ekpa or torture him. Their courts obey the law. Nigeria’s leaders do not. So stop comparing a clean country to a lawless one,” Ndubueze said.
The community leader backed the planned protest march being organized by Sowore.
Ndubueze added, “Sowore has the right to protest:Ogbu said Sowore’s protest will “delay Kanu’s release”. That is another trick to discourage people from speaking out. Protest is a human right. Nobody should be afraid to demand justice peacefully. Those who say “don’t protest” are only helping the oppressor to keep doing evil quietly.”
Disputing Ogbu’s views on the insecurity in the South-East, the statement said, “Who really caused the insecurity in the South-East? Let’s face facts. When Kanu was outside Nigeria, there was peace in the South-East. People went to markets and schools freely. The killing and burning started after the government refused to release him and sent soldiers all over Igboland.
“That was when the so-called “unknown gunmen” appeared. Many of them were government agents sent to paint the East as violent so that people would hate Kanu. Amnesty International and other groups reported this. So how can anyone blame Kanu for something that started after he was locked up?
“The fake “broadcast” story: Ogbu said he has Kanu’s videos where he told people to kill others. If truly such videos exist, why didn’t the government bring them to court since 2015? Not one judge has ever seen any genuine recording like that. Was it not the army that invaded Kanu’s house and killed 28 people that caused Kanu to flee Nigeria? Charles Ogbu is this true or false? Did TY Danjuma, DGSS Tosin Ajayi ask people to defend themselves? But it’s Kanu you singled out because you suffer from the same Igbo disease you complain about without it. It is called envy and jealousy.
“What the security people like you did was to cut and twist Kanu’s old speeches to make him look bad. That is propaganda. Ogbu saying “I have it on my phone” is not evidence. Bring it to court. So you want Kanu to say you should buy flowers for killers of innocent citizens just because they were protesting. Anyone can fake a clip.”
Distancing Kanu from the sit-at-home, which has grounded economic activities in the South-East, Ndubueze said, “The Monday Sit-at-Home lies: Ogbu also claimed that Kanu ordered the Monday sit-at-home. That is false and a black lie and you know it. The sit-at-home started after Kanu was taken away. It was Simon Ekpa who brought that madness, not Kanu. You claim you have videos of Kanu on your phone, but you don’t have the one of him in court calling for an end to sit at home. You don’t have the videos of him in court saying repeatedly that if he is released insecurity would stop within two days? You didn’t hear IPOB leaders say many times that no more sit at home? You are a liar and deceiver and people like you can’t legitimately claim they are Igbo by blood.
“It was the anger and hopelessness of people after seeing Kanu’s unlawful detention that made some youths listen to Ekpa and you know this. So again, the root of the problem is injustice, not Kanu. Many people know that Charles Ogbu has long worked for Ike Ekweremadu and other politicians who betrayed the same Igbo people they claim to serve. Remember when IPOB members in Germany challenged Ekweremadu in 2019? Since that day, Ogbu has never forgiven them.
“That is why he now attacks Kanu — to please his political masters and to get favor from Abuja. His article is not about truth. It is about bitterness and envy.”
Ndubueze went ahead to identify those he described as the real enemies of the Igbo.
“The real enemies of the Igbo people
Igbos are their own worst enemies indeed. You are right, but not in the way you think. The real enemies of Igbos are: The governors who called soldiers to shoot their own youths. The politicians who proscribed IPOB instead of defending their people. The writers and talkers like Ogbu who help the oppressors by spreading lies.
These are the people who sold Igboland for crumbs. Not Kanu.
“What Kanu really stood for: Before his arrest, Kanu woke up many young Igbos and Nigerians at large. He taught them that they have rights and should not live like slaves in their own land. That message scared corrupt leaders. That is why you and corrupt politicians joined the Federal Government to silence him. He may not be perfect — no human being is — but his message was clear: freedom, justice, and dignity for his people.
“Charles Ogbu’s write-up is not about peace; it is about confusing people. He blames the victim and praises those who caused the problem. But time will tell. History will remember Kanu the way it remembers Herbert Macaulay, Nnamdi Azikiwe, and all who were once called rebels but later celebrated as heroes. And history will remember Charles Ogbu and his type as men who used their pen to defend oppression. I feel sorry for those listening to him.”`