50 members of the House of Representatives, under the aegis of the Concerned Federal Lawmakers for Peace and Security in the South-East, have made an appeal to President Bola Tinubu to put into effect, Section 174 of the Constitution of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended) and Section 107(1) of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, 2015 and release the proscribed leader of the Indigenous of People of Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu, from the custody of the Department of State Services (DSS).
The lawmakers chose. on the platform of different political parties had in a letter addressed to President Tinubu, dated June 19, 2024, urged the first citizen to start off a peace move, to address the insecurity issues in the South-East.
The signatories of the three-page letter include, Obi Aguocha (from Abia), Ikenga Ugochinyere (from Imo), Afam Ogene (from Anambra), Muhammed Jajere (from Yobe), Aliyu Mustapha (from Kaduna), Midala Balami (from Borno), and Abiante Awaji-Inombek (from Rivers), Dominic Okafor (from Anambra), Etanabene Benedict (from Delta), Abdulmaleek Danga (from Kogi), Shehu Dalhatu (from Katsina), Chinedu Martins (from Imo), Matthew Nwogu (from Imo), Peter Aniekwe (from Anambra), Koki Sagir (from Kano) and Amobi Oga (from Abia) among others.
Recall that Nnamdi Kanu had just last week, expressed his wish to have the treason charges filed against him by the Federal Government, settled out of court.
He had also condemned the killings in the South-East from IPOB agitators m.
The lawmakers mentioned, had in their letter, urged President Tinubu to compel the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi to invoke his powers of nolle prosequi under the provisions of Section 174(1) of the Constitution and Section 107(1) of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act 2015, and declare the release of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu from detention and discontinue his trial.
The House of Reps had appealed to the President to extend this gesture through the office of the Attorney General as he done for the activist Omoyele Sowore, who was charged with treasonable felony.
Why It Matters
50 House of Representatives members have united across party lines to appeal to President Bola Tinubu with the sole mission of securing the release of Nnamdi Kanu, the proscribed leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).
The list of signatories includes representatives from various states, adding weight to the plea and demonstrating a united front in seeking justice for Kanu.
Additionally, the reference to activist Omoyele Sowore, who received a similar gesture from the Attorney General, highlights consistency and fairness, suggesting that Nnamdi Kanu’s case deserves equal consideration from the Federal Government as well.
