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Tag: rejects

  • Eastern Bar rejects NBA constitution amendment

    Eastern Bar rejects NBA constitution amendment

    The Eastern Bar Forum (EBF) has rejected the ongoing amendment of the Nigerian Bar Association  (NBA) constitution.

    The NBA began the process by constituting a committee headed by Mallam Yusuf Ali (SAN) to review and update its constitution to deal with contemporary issues.

    The committee sent out memos requesting its branches to send in memoranda on the amendments they desire in the constitution.

    But the EBF, an umbrella association for  lawyers in the 45 NBA branches in the Southeast and Southsouth geo-political zones of the country opposed the move.

    It made its position last weekend in Abakaliki, at its quarterly meeting.

    According to EBF, the timing and procedures for the amendment were not acceptable.

    It urged all its branch chairmen and secretaries to shun such letters while those that had already responded to retract their responses immediately.

    The group agreed to write NBA President,   Mr. Abubakar Balarabe Mahmoud (SAN) to convey its decision.

    Efforts by successive leadership of the NBA to amment its constitution always met resistance.

    Former Presidents including J.B. Daudu (SAN), Okey Wali (SAN) made serious efforts to amend the constitution with little or no successes.

    Immediate past president, Mr. Augustine Alegeh (SAN) effected  some  amendments which were later invalidated by the courts for non-compliance with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) requirements.

    Chairman, Southeast Governors’ Forum and Ebonyi State Governor David Umahi  urged EBF members to believe in the association

    He said this would enable them play their role of giving direction to the leaders of the region.

    Governor Umahi spoke during a state banquette at Government House, Abakaliki, where the EBF honoured him with an Excellent Performance Award.

    He commended the lawyers for building trust and coming together to drive and tackle issues of common interest in the zone “contrary to the mistrust created by politicians and past leaders of the region to achieve cheap political goals.”

    He expressed happiness that this unity which started with the formation of the South East–South South Governors Forum has positively rubbed off on lawyers from the zone

    The South East-South South Governors Forum is a non-partisan organization consisting of state governors from the geopolitical zones of the South East and South South. It was established to pursue inter-regional cooperation for greater integration and to politically work together towards realigning as a people that share common heritage, culture and affinity.

    Umahi said: “I thank God for this synergy and will forever remain grateful to God for it.  The need for unity in the EBF which started when we started the South East -South South Governors Forum was informed by the need for building trust. For without trust, it will be difficult to build a relationship. There was mistrust built by our leaders and in this country if you want to get anything and find it difficult, you begin to play the ethnic card.

    “We should stay together under the umbrella of the EBF and remain united. I learnt that you have an understanding of presenting candidates for the presidency of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) in turns.

    “The last time it came to the zone, it went to the South South and produced President Okey Wali (SAN), now that it has come back, I expect our South South brothers to support the Southeast to produce the next NBA president, that way you will preserve unity and trust in the association.

    “South East was the plank on which President Jonathan ruled this country and to do otherwise now will not help us. Let us build on this trust and love, nothing will separate us for the bigger we are, the stronger we are.

    “Our judges are doing well on the integrity index among their peers and the lawyers in my administration, the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Augustine Nwankwegu and  Commissioner for Finance, Mr. Dennis Ekoma Nkama are good ambassadors of the legal profession. I will always support the EBF,”  Umahi said

    Chairman, EBF Governing Council, Chief Arthur Elvis Chukwu, assured the governor that the group will remain united and live up to expectations.

    He said: “We will always play a critical role in the governance of this region. We will protect the down trodden and always uphold the rule of law.

    “We commend the governor for playing a crucial role during the Independent People of Biafra (IPOB) saga where he provided leadership for the zone. That is one of the reasons we decided to honour him today,” Arthu Chukwu stated.

    The meeting was attended by Bar leaders from the zone and judges from the Ebony State Judiciary led by the State Chief Judge, Justice Aloy Nwankwor. Others are NBA First Vice-President, Ben Oji, who represented NBA President, Mahmoud; NBA Second-Vice President and  Monday Onyekachi Ubani; National Publicity Secretary of the NBA, John Austin Unachukwu, NBA First Assistant Secretary Leo Okay Ohagba; Asst Publicity Secretary, Chuks Mbamali.

    Others included Chief Arthur Obi Okafor (SAN), Nnamdi Ibegbu (SAN), N. A. Nnawuchi (SAN), Prof. Ernest Ojukwu (SAN), Mr. Gerald Ezuko (SAN), former General Secretaries of the NBA,  Chief Emeka Obegolu who is the Vice-President (West Africa)  of the Pan African Lawyers Union (PALU), Mazi Afam Osigwe and Mr Roy Umahi.

    Branch chairmen and secretaries of the 45 branches of the EBF and former national officers of the NBA from the zone and other zones across the country were also present at the meeting.

  • Ohanaeze rejects terrorist tag on IPOB

    Ohanaeze rejects terrorist tag on IPOB

    The Igbo apex socio-cultural group -Ohanaeze Ndigbo- yesterday rejected the declaration of the Indigenous People of Biafra, (IPoB) as a terrorist organization.

    It insisted that IPOB does not fall within the category of a terrorist organization under extant national and international laws, especially the Terrorist (Prevention) Act 2011, as amended in 2015.

    It,ý however, commended the Southeast Governors for their role in dousing the tension over the large presence of soldiers in the geo-political zone for Operation Python Dance 11.

    Ohanaeze, rising from Imeobi meeting in Enugu, last night, said it stood for a united Nigeria under a restructured federal system of government that guarantees justice, equity and fairness.

    Reading from the group’s communiqué, its President General ý, Chief Nnia Nwodo, flanked by other Igbo leaders, condemned the military operation in the zone and urged the army to terminate the exercise henceforth.

    The group said it would hold a special summit soon in support of the restructuring agenda, and supported all the resolutions of the Southern Leaders Forum.

    For the umpteenth time, it expressed concern over alleged continued marginalization of the Southeast and said the situation was responsible for renewed agitation by Pro-Biafra groups.

    Others at the meeting were Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu, Governor Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia State, Imo state Deputy Governor Eze Madumere and Ebonyi state deputy Governor Kelechi Igwe.

    Also in attendance were former President General of Ohanaeze, Prof Joe Irukwu, former Secretary General of Ohanaeze, Dr. Joe Nworgu, former Minister for Information Walter Ofonagoro, former deputy Governor of Ebonyi State, Prof Chigozie Ogbu, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, Dr. Greg Ibe and former Governor of Anambra state, Dr. Chukwuemeka Ezeife.

  • Court rejects bail variation for deposed Shangisha Baale

    Court rejects bail variation for deposed Shangisha Baale

    Justice Hakeem Oshodi of an Ikeja High Court yesterday struck out an application by the deposed Baale of Shangisha, Chief Mutiu Michael Ogundare, seeking to review his bail conditions.

    Ogundare, who is on trial for allegedly faking his own kidnap, is in Kirikiri Prisons custody with his wife, Abolanle and brother, Mohammed Opeyemi Babatunde, pending the perfection of their bail conditions.

    They were arraigned before an Ogba Magistrates’ Court on July 20 on a three-count charge of breach of the public peace and fake kidnapping contrary to Sections 5 and 7(1) and (2) of the Kidnapping Prohibition 2017, No. C17, Law of Lagos State.

    They pleaded not guilty following which Magistrate T. Akanni granted them N2 million bail with two sureties each in the like sum.

    The sureties, the court said, must include a traditional ruler, a person with registered property in Lagos, a tax payer and a grade level 17 officer in the Lagos State public service.

    During proceedings yesterday, Chief Ogundare’s counsel, Chief H. N. Ogirien prayed the court to reduce the bail conditions, especially the part where the deposed traditional ruler was asked to provide a level 17 officer in the state civil service.

    He said it was difficult for the defendants to get a level 17 public servant and traditional ruler to stand as surety.

    “My Lord we are unable to secure a level 17 officer of the Lagos State Civil Service. No one is willing to come forward and stand as surety.

    “We also have difficulty getting a traditional ruler to stand as surety. We are simply asking the court to review the bail conditions such that the defendant can easily perfect the bail conditions,” Ogirien said.

    Ogirien described the Baale’s situation as a peculiar one.

    He said: “A man and his wife are both incarcerated. They have young children who are dependent on them. Their children are of nursery, primary and secondary ages and are solely dependent on them. They have nobody taking care of them”.

    However, Ogirien could not tell the judge why the deposed Baale did not file his application at the lower court where the bail was granted him.

    Justice Oshodi said: “He is a traditional ruler, so, I am wondering why none of his fellow traditional rulers can stand for him. Are you saying that there is no traditional ruler within jurisdiction that can stand surety for him?”

    The judge then dismissed the application for lacking in merit.

    On July 16, Lagos State Governor Akinwunmi Ambode deposed Ogundare for allegedly faking his own kidnap in a bid to blackmail the government.

    Ogundare’s alleged abduction reportedly took place on July 5 along the Centre for Management Development (CMD) Road in Ikosi-Isheri Local Council Development Area (LCDA).

    His wife, Abolanle and Babatunde were alleged to be accomplices in the plot.

  • Court rejects bid to stall Bala Mohammed’s bail bid

    Court rejects bid to stall Bala Mohammed’s bail bid

    The High Court of the Federal Capital Territory sitting in the Gudu District, Abuja yesterday turned down an attempt by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to stall the bail application of the former minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Senator Bala Mohammed.

    It was sequel to a six-count charge slammed on the former minister over alleged gratification, abuse of office and conspiracy. The former minister pleaded not guilty to all the charges.

    The prosecution counsel, Prince Ben Ikani, made frantic efforts to stop the court from hearing the application for bail, even before it could be moved and argued by the former minister’s lead counsel, Chief Chris Uche (SAN).

    Ikani had asked the court to adjourn the hearing of the bail application to a further date, saying that he needed more time to respond to the issues raised therein.

    But Uche opposed the application for adjournment and urged the court to proceed with the hearing of the motion. Wondering why the EFCC was shying away from addressing the matter, he argued that the issues raised in the bail application were within the knowledge of the prosecution as they form the subject matter of the charge, which had not changed since last year.

    Justice Abubakar Talba rejected the EFCC’s application  for an adjournment on the ground that the prosecution did not place sufficient materials before the court to enable it exercise its discretion in its favour.

    He cited some cases and held that adjournments are discretionary powers of the court.

    While moving  the bail application, which was brought under Section 35(1) & (4) and 36 (5) and (6) of the 1999 Constitution and Section 158, 162, 163 & 165 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act 2015, Uche urged the court to release his client on bail pending his trial.

    The Senior Advocate submitted that the alleged offences were bailable and drew the attention of the court to the fact that his client had earlier been arrested, detained and investigated by the EFCC in connection with the account of his tenure as minister of the FCT, in respect of unsubstantiated allegations of conspiracy, abuse of office and money laundering, and had been in its custody between October 24, 2016 and December 9, 2016.

    He told the court that a High Court of the FCT had in November 29, 2016 released the former minister on bail and he was subsequently arraigned before this same court on five-count charge, which was later withdrawn by the EFCC.

    The defence lawyer said his client had a good defence to the charge as he did not commit any offences whatsoever, and was prepared to stand trial and offer his defences to the allegations, which he strongly believes are politically motivated.

    Uche added that Mohammed has a very serious health condition with a long history of lung collapse and disorder, and noted that his health situation deteriorated seriously while he was in EFCC custody.

    In his supporting affidavit, he averred that any further detention, pending trial, will further worsen the already deteriorated health condition, which is under observations by a United Kingdom hospital.

    The prosecution counsel urged the court to refuse the bail application on the grounds that some of the paragraphs offended the provisions of Section 115(1) (2) of the Evidence Act.

    He argued that if granted bail, the defendant may not be available to stand trial since some of the offences attract a prison term of five years.

    Ikani urged the court to refuse the application in view of the prevailing circumstances in the country. In the alternative, he urged to court to attach stringent conditions to his bail.

    Justice Talba after listening to both counsel, adjourned his ruling tomorrow, in view of his  crowded cause list.

    He ordered that the former minister be remanded in prison custody pending his ruling on his bail application.

  • Adeleke family rejects inquest ordered by govt

    Adeleke family rejects inquest ordered by govt

    The late Isiaka Adetunji Adeleke’s family yesterday denounced the coroner’s inquest ordered by the Osun State government to determine the cause of his death.

    It advised indigenes to discountenance “this kangaroo inquest into the death of our beloved Senator Isiaka Adetunji Adeleke.”

    Speaking on behalf of the family, the deceased’s younger brother, Dr. Adedeji Adeleke, at a news briefing in Ede, described the inquest as self-serving.

    Accompanied by the late politician’s son, Dele and siblings, Dupe Adeleke-Sani, and Demola, Dr. Adeleke said: “We condemn the continuous politicisation attempts by the state of this great loss to our family, particularly the ordering of this inquest at a time we are still coming to terms with the harsh reality of his sudden departure and the pain and grief therefrom.

    “As part of our attempts to reach closure and begin our healing process, the family had ordered an autopsy to be carried out. This is the only scientific and globally acceptable means of objectively determining the cause of his death and we look forward to the reports. This is irrespective of the obvious infrastructural and technological limitations of medical laboratories.

    “We have been informed by sources that the outcome of the ‘kangaroo inquest’ is predetermined by the state and designed to serve its own interest with distorted facts and misinformation, which will not be in the interest of the people of Osun State in general and the Adeleke family in particular.

    “We have, therefore, as a family resolved not to participate or cooperate with the ‘kangaroo’ styled panel set up by the government, as it was clearly to serve the state’s political interests and ultimate establishment of its own self-serving ‘facts.’ While everyone, including any government, is entitled to his/her own opinion, the government inquest is an attempt to create its own ‘alternative facts.’ Facts are sacred and truth is constant. Alternative facts are nothing but falsehood.

    “We are, therefore, compelled to reject the inquest with its predetermined outcome. We enjoin the peace-loving people of Osun State to discountenance this ‘kangaroo’ inquest into the death of our beloved Senator Isiaka Adetunji Adeleke.”

    He challenged the government to explain to the people why it was in a hurry to order an inquest, when report of the autopsy ordered by the Adeleke family is yet to be delivered to the family.

    “We wish to reiterate in strongest terms that the report of the autopsy ordered by the family must be released to no one else other than the Adeleke family. To do otherwise by the medical team conducting the autopsy will be tantamount to gross professional misconduct actionable with appropriate sanctions in law.

    “We hope the concerned pathologists, who we regard and recognise as eminent and thoroughbred practitioners, will act according to their professional calling and oath by expeditiously concluding the autopsy and delivering the report to the Adeleke family, who are the only ones entitled to it.”

  • Court rejects Moro’s prayer for foreign medical trip

    Justice Nnamdi Dimgba of the Federal High Court, Abuja yesterday rejected an application by former Interior Minister, Abba Moro, for permission to travel abroad on health grounds

    Moro is being tried with some senior officials of the ministry on an 11-count charge of procurement fraud and money laundering brought against them by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

    The others are a former Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Anastasia Daniel-Nwobia, a deputy director in the ministry, F. O Alayebami, Mahmood Ahmadu (at large), and Drexel Tech Nigeria Limited, a firm that was given the recruitment job in the ill-fated Nigerian Immigration Service, NIS, recruitment exercise in 2014.

    Moro had, in the application filed by his lawyer, Paul Erokoro (SAN), sought the court’s permission to travel abroad for a medical appointment.

    Ruling yesterday, Justice Dimgba noted that the application, dated December 16, 2016, addressed the request for the defendant to travel out of the country for a medical appointment scheduled for January 2017.

    “A medical appointment for January 2017 cannot be given in March”, the judge said.

    He asked Erokoro to update the application and adjourned to Tuesday, March 21, 2017 for hearing on pending applications.

    Earlier, a Director of Compliance at the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP), Ishaq Yahaya, was called for further cross-examination. He is the third prosecution witness.

    He had, at the last sitting, on March 16, while being cross-examined by Erokoro and Chris Uche (SAN) – lawyers to 1st and 2nd defendants – said Drexel Tech Global Services “is non-existent”.

    Answering questions by S.I. Ameh, SAN, counsel to the fourth defendant, Drexel Tech Nigeria Limited, Yahaya gave additional insight into how the recruitment exercise of March 17, 2013 that led to the death of scores of Nigerian job applicants, was carried out without due process.

    He informed the court of the prescribed methods by the Public Procurement Act for procurement of services.

    He said: “While the use of ICT cannot be tagged as a criminal activity, the method prescribed by the Public Procurement Act (PPA) for procurement of services are: the Open Competitive Method,  the Special and Restricted Methods, under which are Selective Tendering, Direct Procurement, Emergency Procurement and Two-Stage Tendering. Consultancy falls under all the methods”.

    Regarding the contract (Exhibit AAFD 13), Yahaya said: “The parties to the e-recruitment platform contract were the Ministry of Interior and Drexel Tech Nigeria Ltd. The contractual agreement between the Interior Ministry and Drexel was a Public-Private Partnership project, as indicated by the minister. Drexel was engaged to provide the e-recruitment platform for the government.

    “The item and the amount relating to the operational cost of N83million were not captured in the document. No sum from the Federal Government was invested in this project. Information on a sharing ratio of 70:30 between the Federal Government and the contractor was not captured in the document”.

    He added that there was no supplementary document or addendum with the documents supplied by the ministry for the purpose of review.

    On why the BPP did not write to Drexel Tech Nig Ltd for their account of events, Yahaya said, “We were reviewing the contract and not Drexel, the organization”.

  • Agbomhere rejects Oshiomhole as Edo APC caucus chairman

    Agbomhere rejects Oshiomhole as Edo APC caucus chairman

    A former governorship aspirant of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief Blessing Agbomhere, has rejected the emergence of Comrade Adams Oshiomhole as the Chairman of the Edo  State APC Caucus.

    Agbomhere said Oshiomhole lacked the moral and political credentials to be the sole leader of the APC in the state.

    The former governor emerged as the caucus leader at a meeting where Governor Godwin Obaseki gave report of his 100 days performance in office.

    In a statement, Agbomhere said the Edo APC was not bereaved of true and patriotic leaders.

    He said: “It is double standard for any APC member to call Oshiomhole the leader of Edo APC when the same man fought Chief Tony Anenih because he was called the leader when Lucky Igbinedion was Governor of Edo State.

    “We have Prince Tony Momoh, a former Minister and former Chairman of the defunct Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), and Chief John Oyegun. No sane man will leave these learned, erudite and accomplished leaders and fathers with their intellectual, mental and moral sagacity to choose Adams as Edo State APC leader.

    “If there must be any state leader of the APC, it has to be the governor, and Adams is no longer the governor and he is not the leader. Godwin Obaseki is the governor and the leader of the Edo APC.

    “Adams Oshiomhole is a former governor and a member of the party, and he must be accorded the respect and rights deserving of such positions. Anything short or higher than that is against the APC constitution and it must be regarded as a political and social taboo.”

  • Commission rejects Senate president’s order on acting Clerk

    National Assembly Service Commission (NASC) Executive Chairman Dr. Adamu Fika yesterday described as not tenable the order by Senate President Abubakar Bukola Saraki that Mr. Mohammed Sani-Omolori’s appointment as acting Clerk to the National Assembly should be reversed.

    Fika, in a memo dated April 26, which he addressed to the Senate President, said Saraki was ill-informed to have asked him to withdraw the appointment letter issued to Sani-Omolori.

    He added that the decision to appoint Sani-Omolori as acting Clerk to the National Assembly was taken at the commission’s 440th meeting held on April 20.

    Fika noted that the commission took into account the fact that Mr. Benedict Efeturi will proceed on his pre-retirement leave on August 2, twelve days before the incumbent Clerk will be due to hand over to his successor.

    He said the implication is that Efeturi is “time barred for the Acting appointment”,  hence the choice of Sani-Omolori to act and ensure continuity in the system.

    The commission’s chairman noted that denying Sani-Omolori appointment as Deputy Clerk to the National Assembly in 2014 was improper, being that he was senior to Mr. Benedict Efeturi.

    The memo entitled: “Re: Appointment of acting Clerk to the National Assembly”, reads: “I wish to refer to your letter on the above subject matter issued on your behalf by your Chief of Staff, Senator Isa Galaudu, instructing the Executive Chairman, National Assembly Service Commission to withdraw the letter appointing Mr. Mohammed A. Sani-Omolori as the Acting Clerk of the National Assembly for the period the incumbent Clerk to the National Assembly will be on pre-retirement leave from May 14 to August 14, 2016.

    “The above decision was taken at the Commission’s 440th meeting held on April 20, 2016. The Commission took into account the fact that Mr. Benedict Efeturi will himself proceed on his pre-retirement leave on August 2, 2016, twelve days before the incumbent Clerk will be due to hand over to his successor.

    “This means that Mr. Efeturi is time-barred for the acting appointment; hence the choice of Mr. Sani-Omolori to act and ensure continuity in the very important public service office, where he will serve for the next five years.

    “In arriving at the Commission’s decision, the chairman did not use his casting vote, because eleven commissioners were in support with only one who voted no.

    “I wish to kindly invite your attention to the reason alleged in your letter to have been used to deny Mr. Benefit Efeturi from being appointed as the Acting Clerk, being that he was not duly appointed as Deputy Clerk of the National Assembly.

    “It is necessary to place on record the career progression of the two officers in the hierarchy of the National Assembly as follows:

    ‘Deputy Director: Mr. Efeturi January 1, 2004, Mr. Sani-Omolori 1st January 1, 2003. Director Mr. Efeturi 1st January 2008; Sani-Omolori January 2007.

    Acting Clerk Mr. Efeturi February 4, 2010; Sani-Omolori February 4, 2010. Substantive Clerk Mr. Efeturi March 25, 2010; Mr. Sani-Omolori March 25, 2010.

    “It should be noted that in the Nigerian Public Service, seniority is determined at the time of consideration for promotion and career progression chart leading to it.

    “Seniority has never and is never decided by the date of appointment to the service nor date of retirement from service or indeed the number of years spent in the service.

    “From that above analysis, denying Mr. Sani-Omolori appointment as Deputy Clerk to the National Assembly in 2014 was improper, being that he was senior to Mr. Efeturi.

    “With the above explanations, the issue of misleading and misinforming your good self and Honourable Speaker of the House of Representatives doe not arise as the commission properly evaluated the two officers and took into consideration their service records as a determining fact for the appointment of Acting Clerk to the National Assembly.

    “In the light of the foregoing, Your Excellency will agree that reversing the decision of the commission appointing Mr. Sani-Omolori as the acting Clerk to the National Assembly cannot be tenable in this circumstance.”

     

  • Presidency rejects N750,000-an-Eaglet

    Presidency rejects N750,000-an-Eaglet

    A much lower proposal of N150,000  per player of the victorious Golden Eaglets has been tabled by the sports ministry after a proposal of N750,000 -a-player was rejected by the country’s Presidency as “too much”.

    It has already been reported that the Federal Government has rejected an initial proposal by the sports ministry to reward the Eaglets after they won a fifth FIFA U-17 World Cup in Chile last month.

    This week, the government of President Muhammadu Buhari has warned that next year will be rough for the country because of the poor economy and has moved to cut back drastically on government spendings.

    It would therefore be seen as double standards if the government now splashes a fortune on the schoolboy stars.

    “The proposal has been reviewed after the first rejection. We wait for the green light from the presidency on the date for the reception and the reward,” a sports ministry official disclosed.

  • MASSOB rejects peace talks

    The Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB) has rejected the resolutions reached in the stakeholders meeting last Sunday.

    Southeast governors, Igbo leaders, lawmakers and stakeholders met last Sunday to discuss the agitation for the state of Biafra and the release of Radio Biafra Director, Nnamdi Kanu.

    Imo State Governor Rochas Okorocha, who addressed reporters after the meeting at the Government House in Enugu State, said a committee would  dialogue with the agitators with a view to ending the crisis.

    But MASSOB, in a statement by its National Director of Information, Uchenna Madu, rejected the resolutions, arguing that they did not address the major issue for the protests – the continued detention of Nnamdi Kanu. It said the only way to end the crisis was the unconditional release of Kanu.

    The group expressed worry that Southeast governors met in their usual characteristic way without their Southsouth counterparts, where Biafra uprising also holds sway.

    It reads: “MASSOB is not satisfied with the meeting of Igbo leaders on Sunday because it did not address the seriousness of the plight of Nnamdi Kanu.

    “How can revered Igbo leaders waste the day in a marathon meeting without discussing Nnamdi Kanu’s release?

    ‘’Are they afraid of the northern oligarchy or the western alliance with the North or President Muhammadu Buhari? The governors, Ohanaeze Ndigbo and other Igbo leaders have proved they’re not representing the interest and demands of Ndigbo.

    “They have shown their soft mind, inferiority complex and loyalty to our oppressors but we shall prove to Nigeria that they are not in charge of affairs in Igboland.

    “The Department of State Security (DSS) is buying time for a long incarceration of Nnamdi Kanu to impress Buhari and northern political cabals that they can frustrate the Biafra revolution.

    “Incarcerating Kanu will only motivate, inspire and increase the morale of Biafra agitators. How long shall they continue to detain an innocent man, who already commands the respect of Ndigbo, even in detention?

    “MASSOB and IPOB members are not protesting the infrastructural decay in Igboland or the non-inclusion of Igbo in major political appointments, but the release of Nnamdi Kanu, who represents the genuine desire of the people of the eastern region.

    “Other demands and clamour of Ndigbo as a result of the political tension are good but the major one is the release of Nnamdi Kanu.”