Aloy Ejimakor, the Nigerian lawyer of the detained leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu, says the separatist is cheerful in the custody of the Department of State Services.
He made this known in a tweet after meeting the IPOB leader in the DSS custody.
According to him, Nnamdi Kanu stressed the importance of unity and tolerance on all sides.
The lawyer said the meeting lasted about four hours.
“Today, I met with Onyendu at the DSS. We spent nearly four hours. My interaction with him was fulfilling.
“He’s cheery and looks forward to overcoming this predicament sooner than later. Again, he stressed UNITY and tolerance on all sides. He has you all in his thoughts,” he tweeted.
Today, I met with Onyendu at the DSS. We spent nearly 4 hours. My interaction with him was fulfilling. He’s cheery & looks forward to overcoming this predicament sooner than later. Again, he stressed UNITY and tolerance on all sides. He has you all in his thoughts.
Kanu, who is facing an 11-count charge of treason, treasonable felony, terrorism and illegal possession of firearms, among others, jumped bail in 2017 and left the country.
The former London estate agent disappeared in 2017 after being released on bail, only to re-emerge in Israel and then in the United Kingdom.
He was re-arraigned before a Federal High Court in Abuja and ordered to be remanded in the custody of the DSS, while the case was adjourned till July 26 and July 27.
The Federal Government said security and intelligence agencies were on the trail of Kanu for over two years before he was re-arrested, adding that the head of the outlawed IPOB movement was detained again on Sunday – without giving details on the location of his arrest.
Kanu was initially arrested in late 2015 after calling for a separate state for Biafra, in South-East Nigeria.
His detention sparked mass protests and clashes with security services.
Election offices have also been attacked by suspected members of the group. However, IPOB – which agitates for a separate Igbo state – has denied being behind the violence, accusing the government of a smear campaign.
The PUNCH gathered on Thursday that Kanu’s Nigerian lawyer Ejimakor delivered two forms to the IPOB leader on Wednesday during a visit to the office of the Department of State Services, where he is being detained.
Ejimakor told our correspondent that the development would open up a new chapter in the trial of Kanu, adding that the Nigerian government would be served with summons to bring him to the United Kingdom, where another case would be heard over the manner of his rendition to Nigeria.
He said, “I went to visit him on Wednesday and went with two forms. One was the consular consent form that the British High Commission required that he signs to consent to consular assistance.
“There was also a form from his counsel in the UK. The firm is known as Bindmans, one of the largest law firms in the UK.
“The forms will open a whole new chapter of legality, including the filing of a Writ of Mandamus against the Nigerian government in a UK court to compel it to produce Kanu, because his detention is illegal under the British law.
credit: punch