Biafra: EXPLAINING THE CHARGES BROUGHT AGAINST MAZI NNAMDI KANU BY BUHARI’S DSS

September 30, 2016

Public Enlightenment Series - #1

EXPLAINING THE CHARGES BROUGHT AGAINST MAZI NNAMDI KANU BY BUHARI’S DSS

The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) under the leadership of Nnamdi Kanu  deemed it necessary to explain to the public, the frivolous charges brought against Nnamdi Kanu by the Department of State Services (DSS), an agency that Retired Major-General Muhammadu Buhari has unconstitutionally used to replace the Nigeria Police Force.

This enlightenment series is set to achieve the following objectives:

1) Give accurate information on the number of charges brought against Nnamdi Kanu,

2) Disintinguish between what is being reported and what is exactly on the charge sheet,

3) Provide the public with relevant information on the laws cited by the DSS on the charge sheet and how relevant they are to the charges brought against Nnamdi Kanu.

On  the 20th of January 2016, the DSS arraigned Mazi Nnamdi Kanu along with two other Biafrans. The IPOB leader was arraigned on three charges and not six charges as being erroneously reported by most Nigeria’s news media. In addition, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu was never charged with treason as wrongly peddled by Nigerian brown-envelope journalists. In real terms, it was Muhammadu Buhari who actually committed treason on December 31, 1983 when he overthrew a democratically elected government headed by Alhaji Aliyu Usman Shehu Shagari.

In this first part of the enlighten series, we shall dwell on the first charge which reads as follows:

“That you, Nnamdi Kanu and other unknown persons, now at large, at London, United Kingdom, between 2014 and September, 2015 with intention to levy war against Nigeria in order to force the President to change his measures of being the President of the Federation, Head of State and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federation as defined in Section 3 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended) by doing an act to wit: Broadcast on Radio Biafra your preparations for the states in the South- East geo-political zone, South-South geo-political zone, the Igala Community of Kogi State and the Idoma/Igede Community of Benue State to secede from the Federal Republic of Nigeria and form themselves into a Republic of Biafra, and thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 41(C) of the Criminal Code Act, CAP C38 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004.“

To further enlighten the public, we hereby publish verbatim, the entire Section 41 of CAP C38 LFN 2004 including the accompanying punishment if conviction is achieved:

41. Treasonable felonies.

Any person who forms an intention to effect any of the following purposes, that is to

say-

(a) to remove during his term of office otherwise than by constitutional means the President as Head of State of the Federation and Commander-in-Chief of

the armed forces thereof; or

(b) to likewise remove during his term of office the Governor of a State; or

(c) to levy war against Nigeria in order by force or constraint to compel the President to change his measures or counsels, or in order to put any force or constraint upon, or in order to intimidate or overawe any House of the National Assembly or any other Legislature or legislative authority; or

(d) to instigate any foreigner to make any armed invasion of Nigeria of any or the territories thereof, and manifests such intention by an overt act,

is guilty of a felony and is liable to imprisonment for life.

We hereby breakdown this first charge as follows:

1) That Nnamdi Kanu and an indeterminate number of persons whom the DSS don’t even know have formed an intention to levy war against Nigeria. In addition, the DSS are asserting that both Nnamdi Kanu and these “unknown persons“ committed the treasonable felony act in London—United Kingdom.

2) That the period within which Nnamdi Kanu and these indeterminate number of “unknown persons“ performed this act was from 2014 (no specific date and month in 2014) to September 2015 (no specific date in the month of September).

3) That the method in which they committed the treasonable felony as defined by 41-C was by broadcasting on Radio Biafra. And that what they did by broadcasting on Radio Biafra was their preparation of the states in South-East and South-South geo-political zones to secede from Nigeria to form Republic of Biafra. That Igala Community in Kogi state and Idoma/Igede Community in Benue state were also part of the areas that will form the Republic Biafra which will secede from Nigeria.

4) That the action explained above qualifies for the condition specified in 41-C for treasonable felony of which the punishment  upon conviction is life imprisonment for Nnamdi Kanu and those indeterminate number of “unknown persons“. 

Having  broken down the charges, we will now raise some pertinent questions in the next edition of this enlightenment series.

Analysis done by:

Barrister Emma Nmezu       

Dr. Clifford Chukwuemeka Iroanya

Spokespersons for IPOB