Aloy Ejimakor, the Special Counsel for the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and its leader, Nnamdi Kanu, has clarified that releasing Kanu is not an act of mercy, but a legal obligation. Some individuals have wrongly portrayed it as an act of mercy, but Ejimakor asserts that it is a matter of complying with existing court orders and international tribunal decisions that have declared Kanu’s detention illegal.
Ejimakor emphasizes that Kanu’s ongoing detention is not legally justified; it is an extrajudicial and unconstitutional action. Alternatively, he suggests that the decision to release Kanu can also be made based on constitutional provisions regarding the discontinuation of prosecutions, especially when the current charges are unsustainable.
It is crucial to note that Kanu is not currently undergoing any trial and does not face any charges against him. Therefore, his continued detention is, in essence, a case of imprisonment without conviction. Ejimakor describes it as false imprisonment by the state, made even more distressing by the fact that Kanu is held in a Department of State Services (DSS) cell that resembles a dank police cell or worse in some aspects.
Despite court orders for Kanu’s release, he remains detained in Nigeria’s DSS cell since his rendition from Kenya in 2021, even though he holds British citizenship.
SOURCE: Guardian
IMAGE: Daily Post
