On Monday the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, called on the Department of State Services, DSS, to allow its leader, Nnamdi Kanu access to his lawyers and family member.
IPOB said Kanu’s family members and lawyers should be granted access to see him either dead or alive.
Emma Powerful, spokesman of the group made the call while condemning the DSS over its inability to produce Kanu in court.
In a statement, Powerful said: “We the global family of Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) under the command and leadership of our great leader Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, condemn the seek and hide attitude of the Department of State Services, DSS, and its systematic delay and failure to produce our leader Mazi Nnamdi in court today in Abuja.
“This was a deliberate and wicked plot to inflict further torture on our leader who they have kept incommunicado for some days now. In the past seven days, DSS has refused our lawyers and our leader’s family members access to him. This is wickedness!
“We are no longer comfortable with this development. We have enough grounds to suspect foul play. With the failure of DSS to produce our leader in court today without any cogent reason and coupled with the torture meted out to him since his abduction in Kenya, we are worried about the safety of our Leader.
“The failure of DSS to produce our leader in court today is confirming our fear over the uncertainty concerning his health. Considering his deteriorating health condition since he was kidnapped and the refusal of DSS to grant him access to his personal physicians, it is possible that our Leader may have been killed.
“DSS should prove us wrong by producing our leader in court or granting his lawyers and family members access to him. We are running out of patience. Nigeria should not take IPOB for granted. Our leader must not die in detention.”
The group also commended all those who stood in solidarity of Kanu across the world.
“We also wish to heartily commend all markets, banks and government agencies, motor parks, transport companies, etc, who showed solidarity to our leader Mazi Nnamdi Kanu without formal announcements from IPOB leadership. We thank all Biafrans and friends of Biafran who in one way or the other solidarised with our leader today,” Powerful said.
IPOB also called for the release of all those apprehended at the Federal High Court.
“We also demand the unconditional release of all those arrested today in Abuja and other parts of the country for their solidarity to our leader. Nigeria must release them,” Powerful said.
