Says #EndSARS, spontaneous youth movement not sponsored by IPOB leader
Stephen Ukandu, Umuahia
Aloy Ejimakor, Special Counsel to the Leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, has replied the Leader of Niger Delta ex-militants, Asari Dokubo, over the latter’s recent vituperations against Mazi Nnamdi Kanu.
Ejimakor knocked Dokubo for alleging that the nationwide uprising against police brutality in 2020 was instigated by Kanu.
Kanu’s lawyer explained that contrary to Dokubo’s wild allegations, the anti-police protest was a spontaneous youth movement sparked by bottled up anger against police brutality.
Ejimakor accused Dokubo of using the anti-Kanu comments which he made during his recent visit to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu at Aso Rock, to curry favour from Government.
He told the Niger Delta ex-militant leader that Kanu is not in his class, explaining that the IPOB Leader is a freedom fighter and not a terrorist contrary to Dokubo’s allegations.
Below is a full text of the statement made available to Ikengaonline:
“The attention of the undersigned Counsel to Mazi Nnamdi Kanu has been drawn to the widely published call by Alhaji Asari Ediabali Dokubo on President Ahmed Bola Tinubu not to release Mazi Nnamdi Kanu.
“In most of the publications, Dokubo was credibly quoted as saying that “His (Nnamdi Kanu’s) release would fuel impunity; during EndSars, Nnamdi Kanu was walking free. What did he do? He poured petrol on the flames of EndSars. Now, he has been caught. What of the people who have died? This is a criminal. He should face the law. Releasing Nnamdi Kanu is rewarding criminality and rewarding gruesome murder of innocent people. He should face the law for the actions and instigations he has carried out.”
“Our considered response to this highly inflammatory statement by Alhaji Dokubo is as follows:
“First, Dokubo’s statement is defamatory of the fine character, reputation and international standing of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu; and it is also in clear contempt of the October 2022 judgment of the Federal High Court, Umuahia which had determined Nnamdi Kanu’s extraordinary rendition and detention to be unconstitutional and a brazen violation of his fundamental rights.
“Second, Dokubo should be aware that the matter of Nnamdi Kanu has triggered the international legal order, as there are two subsisting international tribunal decisions in his favour. Whilst one decision issued from the United Nations, the other issued from a continental human rights tribunal to which Nigeria is subject by treaty.
“Third, the EndSARS protest Dokubo blamed solely on Nnamdi Kanu was an amorphous mass movement of Nigerian youths that had no identifiable leaders and its grave fallouts led to the constitution of many commissions of inquiry, none of which indicted Nnamdi Kanu, either as a participant or a leader.
“Fourth, Dokubo should be well-advised that the conduct that led to Nnamdi Kanu’s extraordinary rendition, detention and trial is called ‘self determination’ which has been held by a competent Nigerian court – in the celebrated case of Sunday Igboho – to be legal and not criminal. Dokubo has, himself, once agitated for self determination by demanding the creation of Niger Delta Republic, which led to his long incarceration in the recent past. Thus, by calling on President Tinubu not to release Nnamdi Kanu, Dokubo has unwittingly delegitimised the generous amnesty granted him by late President Yar’Adua, affirmed and honoured by former Presidents Jonathan and Buhari but yet to be affirmed and honoured by President Tinubu.
“Finally, Dokubo should be minded that the matter of Nnamdi Kanu, even though capable of being addressed politically by President Tinubu, now lies before several courts of Nigeria, Kenya, Britain and two international tribunals, before whom several Lawyers are separately leading the legal efforts to undo the crushing injustice being levied against Mazi Nnamdi Kanu and members of Indigenous People of Biafra.
“Thus, ending Nnamdi Kanu’s extant extrajudicial detention is capable of springing from a sound political decision of the President, because Nnamdi Kanu committed no crime. Conversely, his detention can also end with a faithful implementation of any of the victories he has garnered in Nigerian courts and the international community.”
