*Begging FG to release me is an insult, says Kanu

Detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, said begging the Federal Government to release him at this point is tantamount to insulting the memory of late Pa Mbazulike Amaechi. Kanu stated this while speaking with his lawyers, led by Prof. Mike Ozekhome, at the Department of State Services (DSS) prison on Monday. Ifeanyi Ejiofor, who documented the visit, stated that Kanu revealed that despite his age and ill-health, PA Amaechi repeatedly travelled from the South East to Abuja to beg the Federal Government to honour his dying wish. But his request was treated with so much disdain. Ejiofor said: “Kanu used the opportunity offered by the visit to extend his heartfelt gratitude to all people of good conscience and groups calling for his release. “He, however, observed that many people may not have understood the peculiarity of his case, but urged us to clarify that he has been effectively and validly discharged by the judgment of the Court of Appeal, delivered on October 13, 2022, which also prohibited his further trial and detention. Therefore, there is no charge pending against Kanu before any court as of today.”

MEANWHILE, IPOB has alleged that the frequent court adjournments of Kanu’s case showed that the Federal Government is running away from the court, because it does not have any evidence or case against him. According to the pro-Biafran group, it is “saddening” that the whole world has continued to watch, as the Federal Government and the Nigerian courts continue to maltreat the IPOB leader, through his continuous detention at the DSS facility in Abuja, despite court judgments discharging and acquitting him. The group stated this in a statement, yesterday, by its spokesman, Emma Powerful, adding that IPOB does not understand where the delay and adjournments at the Supreme Court are coming from. The statement reads: “IPOB wishes to ask, once again, what the Federal Government and Supreme Court are doing towards the illegal detention of Kanu in DSS custody. “It is obvious that the Federal Government has literally abandoned their appeal against Kanu at the Supreme Court, because they have no case against an honest man devoted to emancipation of the oppressed and downtrodden in our society.”