Orji Kalu: Nnamdi Kanu’s Counsel Protests Visit, Wants Investigation

By Gideon Njoku

The visit, on Saturday, by Senate Chief Whip, Orji Uzor Kalu, to Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra, on Monday, November 29, has turned awry. It has become a subject of allegations and suspicion and protest.

Senator Kalu had visited Kanu at the Headquarters of the Department of State Services where an FCT High Court ordered that he be kept in custody as his trial proceeds.

After the visit, Kalu had issued a statement which he personally signed, where he noted that the IPOB leader was healthy, and in good care, at the DSS facility.

He also said he had a brotherly discussion with him where he asked him to think of the implications of his actions and utterances for what Kalu described as Nnamdi Kanu’s “insane amount” of followership.

But the visit has not gone down well with one of  Nnamdi Kanu’s Counsels – his lead Counsel, Ifeanyi Ejiofor.

In a statement he released Sunday, after their visit to Kanu, Ejiofor alleged there is more to the visit than meets the eye. He says that not only did the visit go against the Court order that at least, one of Kanu’s Counsels must be  present during any visit to him by anybody, an order which the DSS had carried out to the letter until the Kalu “breach”, he feared that the visit could put pressure on his Client, intimidate him, and give him the wrong impression of things outside  his detention facility.

Ejiofor has, therefore, called for an investigation into the visit to his client by Orji Kalu.

Definitely, Kalu’s assertion that Nnamdi Kalu was healthy and being well cared for contradicted the impression his Counsels gave a couple of weeks ago that he was not good, health wise, was not being cared for, has been denied change of clothes since his re-arrest, and is in solitary confinement 23 hours out of the 24 hours in a day.

During Kalu’s visit, he wore a “new” dress, not the Fendi outfit he wore on arrest and in Court.

Following is the full text of Barrister Ejiofor’s statement.

It reads in part:

“Our yesterday’s routine visit to our Client – Onyendu Mazi Nnamdi Kanu was hugely insightful, following the successful twist in our introduced methodology. Though it may appear complex before some observers, but very extant in the circumstance of this case.

“Meaningful interventions were reviewed, and legal steps we are exploring to continue to checkmate the aggressors within the ambits of legal inhibitions were thoroughly x-rayed.

“Kudos were given to deserving members of our Legal team who have remained outstanding in the discharge of their professional duties, as well as every one of us who have remained relentless and resolute.

“Our Client continues to admonish for peaceful co-existence of UmuChineke, unflinching support and unshaken loyalty. You may wish to note, and be very much assured that our Client’s eyes are always on the ball, as he has remained ever resolute and unperturbed despite being gravely disappointed by those he hitherto trusted.

“We can at best describe what transpired yesterday between a visitor whom the detaining authority ostensibly aided to violate the court-ordered guideline for visiting our Client as bizarre and unusual. The DSS is not oblivious of the terms of the court’s guideline which they have consistently maintained in the past that it must be obeyed to the letter, and through which position they had denied many friends and Attorneys of our Client, access to him.

“However, caution was thrown to the wind yesterday and instead of insisting on this full compliance with the existing guideline, the DSS for reasons best known to them allowed a visitor access to our Client even before the time scheduled for the formal visit, and without his lawyers being present during the visit.

“It is of serious concern that the visit was conducted without strict adherence to the court-ordered guideline, but more condescending that the visit later became a subject of political gimmicks.

“If we, Our Client’s Attorneys, his flesh and blood brothers, and his wife will visit him in due compliance with the court-ordered guideline, how can the DSS authorize a visit from any other person in gross violation of this guideline?

“There is more to it than meets the eyes, which the DSS is now under a compelling duty to explain to us. Granted that his name appeared among the list submitted at the 11th hour alongside the names of the lawyers scheduled for the visit, but hurriedly proceeding to conduct the visit without us being present in line with the requirement of the guideline left us with many unanswered questions.

“We have initiated a formal process towards ensuring a thorough investigation of what transpired yesterday, and we shall not hesitate to formally address the world on this subject if there is an attempt to sweep our petition under the carpet.

“The Order of the court and terms as laid down guideline, to regulate visits to our Client is to ensure his maximum protection from persons who may wish to secretly seize the opportunity to hurt or intimidate him into accepting a false narrative outside the dungeon where he is being illegally detained, and they could achieve this through threats and/or coercion. Hence, the need for the presence of his lawyers before granting any audience.

“We may not wish to speak further on this subject or even discuss our Client’s position on this visit pending the outcome of the investigation on the DSS authorized violation of the court-ordered guideline.

“In as much as we have unequivocally demanded an immediate investigation, we are not by any means insinuating that visitors of our Client’s choice are not permitted or restrained from visiting him henceforth, but our position is that every visit to our Client must conform with the already set out guideline by the court.

“We shall keep you all updated as we navigate through this turbulent path, but just note that victory and nothing less than victory is our goal, and it shall surely end in VICTORY.

“UmuChineke. Please note that our Client is profoundly grateful for your dexterity and peaceful conduct so far. This too will soon come to pass. Continue to pray ceaselessly and without season that we shall overcome, UmuChineke. Thank you all and remain blessed.

Signed: Ifeanyi Ejiofor, Esq. Lead Counsel to Mazi Nnamdi Kanu/IPOB 30th November 2021.”

Kalu’s visit was seen by some people as part of efforts to get Nnamdi Kanu’s case resolved politically instead of going through the Court. Two weeks ago, a group of Igbo elders led by 93-year old Mbazulike Amaechi visited President Muhammadu Buhari to specifically appeal to him  that the Government discontinues Kanu’s prosecution in Court and release him unconditionally through a political solution.

Buhari told them their request was an extremely difficult one, but promised to look into it.