IPoB condemns proceedings as court examines Kanu’s belongings

The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPoB) has reacted sharply to the latest court proceedings in the trial of their leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, presided over by Justice Omotosho at the Federal High Court.

It will be recalled that Kanu was initially arrested in 2015 and faced charges related to treasonable felony and terrorism. After a period of being at large, he was rearrested in 2021 under controversial circumstances that IPOB claims involved illegal rendition.

The Nigerian government maintains his arrest was lawful. The trial has been fraught with delays and legal challenges, with IPOB consistently alleging political persecution.

Following Tuesday’s court session, IPOB, through its spokesman Emma Powerful, released a statement expressing their outrage and disbelief at the evidence presented by the prosecution. “To the shock and dismay of all present, including international observers, the so-called evidence consisted of four boxes containing Mazi Kanu’s personal belongings: wristwatches, a microphone, a DJ mixer (falsely labeled a transmitter), cables, Arabian perfumes purchased for his mother and mother-in-law, a brown shoe, laptops, chargers, and phones. No bombs, guns, grenades, or attack plans were found because none existed.”

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Powerful asserted that this presentation of evidence exposed the lack of substance in the charges against their leader. “This revelation lays bare the truth: there is no evidence to support the grave accusations leveled against Mazi Nnamdi Kanu. The items presented in court are not weapons of terrorism but ordinary possessions of a man who has consistently and openly declared his mission as a freedom fighter dedicated to the liberation of his people through peaceful means, including a referendum.”

IPOB also called on international bodies and the governments of Nigeria and the United Kingdom to intervene and halt the ongoing trial.

“With utmost humility, IPoB calls on the Federal Government of Nigeria and the United Kingdom to end this charade masquerading as a trial. The persecution of Mazi Kanu and IPoB, which has led to the loss of countless lives, including his parents, must cease. We do not seek to humiliate any party but to affirm that IPoB’s mission is rooted in the pursuit of dignity, freedom, and a better life for Biafrans, the black race, and Africa as a whole”, the group said.

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