By Charles Igbo
Ninety Three – year old Mbazulike Amaechi must be a sad and depressed man. Mbazulike, a former Aviation Minister in the first Republic, suffered a shock given to him by President Muhammadu Buhari a couple of days ago.
The old man had led a delegation of some Igbo leaders, two months ago, to meet with Buhari at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
Their main agenda was to plead with Mr President to release the leader of the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra, IPOB, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu from the custody of the Federal Government.
Since June 2021 when Kanu was arrested in Nairobi, Kenya, and brought back to Nigeria to face trial – a trial which was cut-short in 2017 when he bolted out of Nigeria to save his life during an invasion of his father’s Palace where he was, after he was granted bail by the Court – Kanu has been in the custody of the Department of State Services, on the orders of an Abuja Federal High Court. He is being prosecuted by the Federal Government on alleged sundry offences, including treasonable felony and terrorism.
During the visit by Elder statesman Amaechi and Co, the old man had pleaded, passionately, to the President to release Kanu to him as a last favour before his (Amaechi) death. He promised to control Kanu, and stop him from speaking the way he does.
Buhari made a loose promise. He told the delegation that difficult as the request was, he would consider it. And Amaechi left, satisfied.
Since that visit over two months ago, nothing has been heard from Buhari. Instead, the trial continued.
But, three days ago, Buhari commented on the Kanu case while fielding questions from Channel TV reporters.
Asked if he would release Kanu, and if so, when, Buhari’s answer was a categorical “no”. He insisted that Kanu’s case must run its full course in the Court. He said it is his policy not to interfere in Judicial matters. He said that Kanu deserved his day in Court. He said Kanu had told a lot of lies against Nigeria, from abroad which he needed to prove in Court.
But irked by the President’s response, the Special Counsel to Kanu and IPOB, Alloy Ejimakor, has tackled Buhari. Ejimakor said that one day, soon, Buhari would be accountable to his promise to obey any judicial order on Kanu.
Ejimakor: “Buhari’s remarks on releasing Nnamdi Kanu is two-faceted. Whereas he appears to have dimmed the prospects of an executive decision to release Kanu, he also said he has left it to the Judiciary to decide.
“Buhari is, therefore, saying that he will respect and implement any judicial decision on Kanu, including an order for his release. This is not the first time he has said such a thing. He said it to Chief Mbazulike Amaechi when he made such a request two months ago.
“I hope a day will come, sooner than later, when Buhari will be held to his commitment and promise to respect any Judicial decision on the Kanu matter whether it is bail, mistrial, or outright unconditional release.”
But a more conciliatory reaction came from Professor George Obiazor, President General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide.
Speaking on Arise Television on Friday, Obiozor said the President cannot be faulted by saying that the case is in the Court, that it is a matter for the Judiciary, but he nevertheless, pleaded for mercy from Buhari. He asked for Kanu’s unconditional release.
He said: ” The President said that the matter is in Court, and you cannot fault it.
“There is division of labor at the Federal level where the Judiciary is independent. So, he is technically right to say that the case is already on.
“We are asking for something different from the Judiciary, and we are asking him to consider his prerogative. Also, the idea of treating him with mercy as a son and citizen, to be considerate and compassion.
“We are not talking about the Judiciary. If he takes the Judiciary route, he is taking the right route logically, but then, away from what we are talking. We are appealing for mercy, and some form of amnesty.”
Before the President’s position, Attorney General of the Federation and Minister for Justice, Abubakar Malami, SAN, had given an inkling that there will be no such intervention by the Executive in Kanu’s case.
This Magazine gathered that from a source at the Presidency that “Buhari is angry over Kanu’s personal insult of him, especially, insisting that he was dead, and that Nigeria is being ruled by an ‘al Sudani’ from Sudan. He is also angry that Kanu dismisses Nigeria as a zoo, and cannot get over Kanu’s alleged instructions which went viral, during the EndSARS protest, to IPOB members to kill and behead Security personnels.”
Kanu is being prosecuted in the Court of the Hon. Justice Binta Nyako.
