Two legal giants based in Onitsha, Anambra state, Ben Okoko, chairman of Idemili branch of Nigerian Bar Association, NBA and Chris Adimora, chairman of Anaocha branch of NBA have vehemently condemned the denial of bail to the leader of Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, Nnamdi Kanu.
They said that as far as they were concerned, Kanu did not commit any offence against any known Nigerian law to have warranted his bail denial and continued detention in the prison custody.
According to Adimora who spoke in a interview with newsmen in his office, yesterday, “the reasons adduced by the prosecution for refusing Kanu bail is not tenable. He did not commit any offence by having dual citizenship. He can’t be refused bail because his charges are still mere allegation which are not yet proven”.
“As far as I know, he continued, Kanu did not commit any offence. They were just fishing for evidence to keep him in jail until they came up with this trump up charge of treasonable felony”.
“That he opened a radio station in a British air wave is not an offence in Nigeria. That he called President Muhammadu Buhari names does not amount to treasonable felon but mere agitation.
He is only expressing and speaking the minds of millions of marginalized Biafrans and that does not amount to treasonable felony as the court states”. Adimora further declared: “I hope they will be gentlemanly enough to produce evidence against him during the trial. The state is not sincere with its citizens or else why did they not bring up all his charges at the initial stage. This treasonable felony charge was brought up on a second thought, after they fail to prove the initial terrorism charge against him, which led to court granting him bail”.
“In summary, he further stated, I must state that the court denied him bail based on the same reason adduced by Buhari during his media chat that Kanu is a dual citizen and we were not surprised that the court eventually came up with the same issue as one of the reasons that led to his bail denial. They are just looking for a charge against him. They used coercive power of state to intimidate him”.
“If James Ibori could be convicted in far away London and thrown into jail because of the offence he committed in Nigeria, courtesy of the extradition treaty existing between Nigeria and Britain, why can’t Britain extradite Kanu or even try him in Britain if he is granted bail in Nigeria and he jumps it and escaped to Britain”?, he asked rhetorically.
SOURCE: Vanguard.
