Ifeanyi Ejiofor, the lead lawyer for the leader of the Outlawed Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, has criticized President Muhammadu Buhari’s comments on Mr Kanu’s trial.
The lawyer revealed this in a statement on Friday.
Buhari, during a bilateral meeting with Boris Johnson, the British Prime Minister on the sidelines of the 26th Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Kigali, Rwanda, on Thursday, reiterated its earlier position that Kanu jumped bail in 2017 while on trial in court.
He also suggested that the IPOB leader would still jump bail if he was granted bail again, insisting that he must defend himself in court.
Ejiofor described Buhari’s comments as “sloppy, mischievous and completely untrue”.
He said the comments have confirmed the president’s alleged partisan stance on the matter.
The lawyer insisted that Kanu did not jump bail but was forced to flee the country after Nigerian security forces invaded his residence in Afara-ukwu in September 2017.
Mr. Kanu is scheduled to appear in court on June 28 for the continuation of his trial.
Ejiofor said the president’s comment, just a week before the court session, was intended to sway the court’s ruling in favor of the Nigerian government.
“What was really the reason for the statement? Is it a veiled warning to the court? Are you moving ahead of an already established position? Is there a link between this statement and the final decision that would result from the application? he said.
Ejiofor said it was unfortunate that the president made the comments despite stating at different events that he would not interfere in court proceedings, after rejecting appeals from some Igbo leaders to intervene on Kanu’s behalf through a political solution.
He accused Mr. Buhari of “usurping” the judicial powers of the court, noting that his statement was capable of “annulling the court’s ruling and damaging the entire process.”
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“It is our correct observation that President Buhari, with the utmost respect for his office, seriously disregards legal proceedings for this singular statement, and must appear in court to respond to this derogatory statement,” Mr. Ejiofor said.
The lawyer called on the international communities to take note of the president’s comments, who urged the court to “remain firm in carrying out its judicial functions and defend justice without giving in to pressure.
IPOB
IPOB, a separatist group led by Kanu, is campaigning for the formation of an independent Biafra state from south-east and some parts of south-south Nigeria.
Mr. Kanu is being detained by the Nigerian Secret Police, SSS, in Abuja, where he is on trial for terrorism.
He was “intercepted” in Kenya and returned to Nigeria in June 2021, under disputed circumstances, to continue his trial.