A member of the legal team representing the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, has renewed calls for his release, insisting that the Federal Government no longer has a legal basis to keep him in custody.
In a statement on Monday titled “The Real Theatre is in Abuja, Not IPOB”, lawyer Onyedikachi Ifedi argued that Kanu’s arrest and repatriation from Kenya in June 2021 violated both domestic and international legal norms.
He cited the Court of Appeal judgment in FRN v. Kanu (CA/ABJ/CR/625/2022) delivered on October 13, 2022, which declared Kanu’s extraordinary rendition unlawful and nullified the charges against him.
“The Court of Appeal made a binding pronouncement on the illegality of the rendition. Once jurisdiction is affected, the proper legal order should be a release,” Ifedi said.
The lawyer further contended that Kanu’s ongoing trial under the Terrorism Prevention (Amendment) Act 2013 was invalid, since the law has been repealed and replaced by the Terrorism Prevention and Prohibition Act 2022.
“Any charge predicated on a repealed law cannot stand,” he stressed, adding that government prosecutors have not proven any act of violence directly linked to his client, with most allegations tied only to his speeches and broadcasts.
Ifedi also noted that appellate discharge amounts to acquittal, and any attempt to reopen the case could constitute double jeopardy, which is prohibited by the Constitution.
He urged the Federal Government to respect the rule of law, release Kanu unconditionally, and embrace dialogue for peace and reconciliation.
