The former President of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide and two time Minister of the Federal Republic, Chief John Nnia Nwodo has advised President Muhammadu Buhari and other relevant Federal Government officials to reconsider their stand on the continued detention of the leader of the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra, IPOB, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu.
Chief Nwodo said in a statement on Tuesday that the continuous detention of the IPOB leader after the Appeal Court ruling does nobody especially the federal Government any good.
‘A critical review of the Government’s position on this matter is very important because of the far reaching implications keeping the IPOB leader after the court ruling will have on the much desired peace and stability in the country.
‘If the honorable Justices of the Court of Appeal reviewed the situation and arrived at their decision, going outside the ruling of the court could be provocative and injurious to the federal Government’s image on the rule of law and respect for the judiciary.
Any other reason being adduced to warrant keeping Kanu incarcerated is most likely going to be inferior to the respecting the ruling of the court and also the sensibilities of some Nigerians particularly Ndigbo who hailed and celebrated the ruling.
My candid advice therefore is for the President to have a rethink on his position and follow the path of justice and rule of law which is a groundnorm for liberal democracies all over the World.
However, The Court of Appeal headquarters in Abuja on Tuesday clarified that the transfer of its 21 Justices to various divisions in the country has nothing to do with the judgment of the Court that discharged and quashed the terrorism charges against the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu.
Contrary to a report in a section of the media, the Appellate Court said that the postings of 21 out of its 81 Justices was a routine exercise aimed at reinvigorating the justice delivery of the Court.
The Chief Registrar of the Court, Malam Umar Mohammed Bangari, in a statement denied the media report that the three Justices who delivered the October 13 judgment that ordered the release of Kanu from detention were transferred.
In the statement he personally signed, the Chief Registrar said that only one Justice out of the three that handled Kanu’s matter was affected by the postings.
The statement read in part “The attention of the Court of Appeal has been drawn to a publication in the media on Monday October 24, 2022 with a caption “Nnamdi Kanu: 3 Justices on Appeal Court Panel Transferred”
“The publication in question conveyed the innuendo to the effect that the recent postings of Justices of the Court of Appeal were in connection with or in response to the judgment of the Court of 13th October 2022 in Nnamdi Kanu Versus the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
“We wish to state categorically that the general postings of the Justices of the Court of Appeal under reference were routine and aimed at reinvigorating the justice delivery system of the Court.
“In fact, 21 out of 81 Justices including 6 Presiding Justices of the Court were affected by the general postings.
“It is therefore incorrect to insinuate that the Honourable Justices who delivered the judgment in the Nnamdi Kanu appeal were the targets of the routine posting exercise.
“A few minutes of inquiry by the media could have clarified the fact.
“We appeal to the media to exercise restraint and circumspection in reporting matters pertaining to the Court and its operations.
“The Court of Appeal has an open door policy of providing easy access to the media to make inquiries and seek clarification on any matters of interest to the media for the benefit of the general public.”
