Elder statesman Dr. Chike Obidigbo has stated that the outcome of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu’s continued detention will reflect the commitment of the current Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, to uphold the rule of law and ensure that justice is served.
In a statement to journalists, Obidigbo, who is the President of the Osisioma Foundation, expressed concern over the detention of Kanu, the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), describing it as unbecoming for a citizen to be held as a prisoner of conscience in a democratic society.
He remarked that Kanu’s case stands out as a significant blemish on Nigeria’s reputation among civilized nations, noting that the circumstances surrounding Kanu’s forced rendition from Kenya suggest that his incarceration serves a darker political purpose.
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As Nigerians prepare to celebrate the 64th independence anniversary, Obidigbo hoped that Kanu would be released as a gesture of national renewal. He lamented that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu missed a vital opportunity to initiate the healing of the nation and foster unity after a divisive general election by failing to address Kanu’s situation.
“Typically, when Presidents undertake a national broadcast, citizens expect them to use that platform to address pressing issues. At the point where President Tinubu discussed the nation’s security situation and military successes, one would have expected a mention of the only prisoner of conscience in the country as part of efforts to reduce anxiety in the system,” he stated.
Obidigbo argued that the presidency’s silence on Kanu’s plight reinforces perceptions that his detention is a political strategy employed by the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
He emphasized that former President Muhammadu Buhari went to great lengths to ensure Kanu’s forced rendition from Kenya under the guise of bringing him to trial. However, court sessions have indicated that the trial was merely a cover for political maneuvers, given Buhari’s open disdain for the Igbo people.
He remarked, “Never before in our history has the Supreme Court’s ruling been subjected to interpretation or review by a lower court. The decision to send the case file back to the Federal High Court, after the apex court identified Kanu’s forced rendition as a barrier to further trial, has become an excuse for extrajudicial imprisonment. This injustice is unbecoming of a democratic nation.”
Obidigbo stressed that Kanu’s only offense was advocating for a referendum to ascertain the willingness of Nigerians to live together, questioning whether the union was voluntary or imposed by colonial powers without input from the indigenous people.
He expressed concern that Kanu’s ongoing detention, despite appeals from well-meaning Igbo elders and friends, appears to be a deliberate attempt to instigate social unrest, providing opportunities for anarchists to wreak havoc in the Southeast.
However, Obidigbo remains optimistic that the appointment of a new female CJN will help extricate political intrigues from the legal proceedings against Kanu. He welcomed the new CJN’s assurance that the judiciary would strive to be a bastion of justice under her leadership.
“I believe that Kanu’s case will serve as the first acid test for the Chief Justice. It will reveal whether politicians will continue to manipulate the case for their power games or if Kanu will be granted the freedom he deserves, instead of suffering from both forced rendition and ambiguous judicial processes,” he concluded.
