The apex Igbo organization, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, has cautioned the Federal Government not to exacerbate the already tense nation, stating that the move to seek a revocation of the bail granted to the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, was a step in the wrong direction.
President General of Ohanaeze, Chief John Nnia Nwodo in a statement titled, “Attorney-General of the Federation, Please Respect Your Oath of Office” described as shocking the move by Mallam Abubakar Malami, to re-arrest Kanu and at the same time not making any attempt to arrest members of Arewa youths who gave Igbo residing in the North order to leave the region.
The body insisted that basing the current move by Malami to re-arrest Kanu on alleged violation of bail conditions was not only laughable but would amount to violation of the rights of the IPOB leader.
Nwodo said: “It has just been brought to my notice that the Attorney-General of the Federation has approached the courts to incarcerate Nnamdi Kalu for flouting his bail conditions.
“I am equally miffed by the audacity with which the Attorney-General displays his bias without regard to his oath of office.”
The Ohanaeze boss observed that just within the week, the Chairman of the Northern Governors Forum and in total defiance of the Head of State’s proclamation of the rights of a citizen of Nigeria to live anywhere in Nigeria and to do business anywhere in Nigeria, the Arewa Youths, pretending to withdraw their quit notice gave qualifications to the Head of State’s proclamation, issuing conditions for enjoyment of citizenship status.
And these same Arewa youths are supposed to have been arrested on the orders of the Governor of Kaduna State and the Inspector General of Police for acts of treason, conversion and sedition.
He said: “Nnamdi, as a citizen of Nigeria, is free to hold any point of view no matter how displeasing to anyone so long as they are not inciting or provoking any criminal activities,” Ohanaeze insisted.
Nwodo noted that even though he and “some Igbo leaders have differences of opinion with Nnamdi on a number of issues and have even been insulted and abused by Radio Biafra but we concede to them their rights to differ from us. We concede to them their nature to be exuberant as youths but we cannot be judgmental about their rights.”
Nwodo urged the Attorney General to note that, “in democracies, leaders are abused, pelted with rotten eggs and booed at, as the former Edo State Governor was booed in Abuja a few days ago. These acts are not necessarily criminal.”
Nwodo finally advised the “Attorney-General not to exacerbate our already tense nation by commencing a legal action which portrays him as biased, insensitive and mis-directed.”
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