The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has rejected the further court trial of its leader, Nnamdi Kanu, stating that it stands by the ruling of the Appeal Court in Abuja on October 13, 2022.
The appeal court had discharged and acquitted Kanu of all charges levelled against him by the federal government.
Nnamdi Kanu has been in the custody of the Department of State Services (DSS) since 2021, following his arrest in Kenya and subsequent repatriation to Nigeria.
On December 15, 2023, the Supreme Court approved his trial on terrorism charges, sending the case back to the High Court, with the court setting February 8, 2024, for the commencement of the hearing.
However, the Federal Government failed to appear in court, leading to the adjournment of the case.
In a statement issued on Thursday, IPOB’s spokesman, Emma Powerful, expressed disappointment in the Federal Government’s refusal to appear in court, suggesting that it indicates a lack of a case against Kanu.
The group said that it stands by the judgement of the Appeal Court, which barred any further trial of their leader in Nigerian courts.
IPOB accused the Federal Government of using legal processes to unjustly detain and persecute Kanu, claiming that the government knows it lacks a case against him.
The pro-Biafran group called on President Bola Tinubu to unconditionally release Kanu, stating that self-determination is lawful both domestically and internationally.
“We are interested in the self-preservation of Biafrans from marauding terrorists. Biafra liberation is a divine project that not even former President Muhammadu Buhari nor anyone else can stop its actualization.
“IPOB has come to restore Biafra, and it is either Biafra or Biafra. That is our oath of allegiance to the Biafra Nation and our oath of honour to all those who have fallen in the course of our march to freedom,” the statement concluded.