Nnamdi Kanu disassociates self from killings, violence in S/East

…denied bail by court

Nnamdi Kanu, the detained leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Tuesday, disassociated himself from the ongoing killings and violence in the South-East.

Kanu, who spoke in an interview with newsmen shortly after Justice Binta Nyako of a Federal High Court, Abuja adjourned his trial until April 17, said the organisation, which he leads, is not a violent one.

He vowed that those behind the violence leading to wanton killings of their fellow brothers and sisters and burning of property under the guise of being IPOB members would not be spared.

Read also: Army bursts IPOB/ESN firearms, drone factory in Delta

Justice Nyako, however, rejected Kanu’s bail application and a preliminary objection filed on his behalf by his lawyer, Alloy Ejimakor.

Speaking, the IPOB leader noted that the violence persisted because he was being held in the custody of the Department of State Services (DSS) and vowed that if released, there would be peace in the entire South-East region of the country.

According to him, “Anybody committing a crime cannot go free. I swear. Anybody committing a crime in the South-East cannot go free.

“They are doing it because I am in DSS custody. If I were to be outside, nobody could try that. I suspect that some people in government are complicit. They are making money with the insecurity.

They know if Nnamdi Kanu is outside, in two minutes this nonsense will stop. Who is the bagger or idiot that will speak when I am talking? That I will give an order in the east, who is the idiot that I will give an order that will counter it? Nobody can. I am Nnamdi Kanu.

“Anybody involved in any form of violence in the east in the name of IPOB is a goner and they know it. Let me come out of this mess, only two minutes, there will be peace in the east”, he said.

Earlier, Kanu and his lawyer, Alloy Ejimakor, applied to be transferred to Kuje Correctional Centre following the refusal by the court to admit him to bail.

They said granting the request would enable them prepare for their defence adequately.

Ejimakor insisted that Kanu’s lawyers were having difficulty in consulting with him at the DSS custody where he is being kept. He said they wouldn’t be able to proceed with the trial unless the detained IPOB leader was moved from the DSS custody.

Read also: Troops raid IPOB/ESN hideouts in Imo State, kill 20

He alleged that DSS personnel usually confiscate documents brought for Kanu by his lawyers. He also alleged that the security operatives usually stop them from taking notes during visitation and that they eavesdrop on Kanu’s consultation with lawyers on matters about his defence, among others.

The lawyer then urged the court to make an order transferring him to Kuje Correctional Centre for them to have adequate time and facility to defend him following Section 36(6)(b) and (c) of the 1999 Constitution.

Also speaking in the open court after he was granted leave to speak, Kanu pleaded with the court to send him to the correctional centre.

The IPOB pulled off his top Liverpool sports wears, to show the judge parts of his armpit, to complain about his alleged poor treatment.

But Justice Nyako refused the oral application seeking the transfer of Kanu to Kuje Correctional Centre, saying an order declining the request had already been made in the past.