The federal government, through the attorney general of the federation and minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, has said the IPOB leader may not be released due to a number of factors, few days after a High Court judgement ordered the federal government to return the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, to Kenya and pay him N500 million as compensation.
The minister argued that Nnamdi Kanu’s rendition could not be the sole justification for the IPoB leader’s release from other charges related to alleged offences against the Nigerian federal government.
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He clarified that there were four main reasons why the government was still holding onto Kanu, all of which came before the rendition problem, for which the court had already given him a clean bill of health.
Nnamdi Kanu’s release or detention depends on the law and the rule of law, according to Malami. In deciding whether to release or not to release, you must first consider the rule of law, then the public interest and the national interest, then the security situation, and finally, international diplomacy.
“Let me talk first of the rule of law. This is someone that has been granted bail on account of charges that have been preferred against him at the court. Someone jumping bail to international community, a case of fugitive is established against the background of jumping the bail.
“Two, arising from the national security, this is someone that is charged with treason, incitement and destruction of civil authority, murder and assassination of others on account of his incitement, that boils down to issues of national security and criminality.”
