“It’s a Shame That Those Who Claim to Be Men of Honour Cannot Honour Their Word”
The family of Nnamdi Kanu, the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), is speaking out about a broken promise. According to Kanu’s younger brother, Prince Emmanuel Kanu, President Ahmed Bola Tinubu’s son, Seyi, met with him before the 2023 general election and made a pact.
“Before the last election, I received a message from an ex-governor that Seyi, the son of President Tinubu, wanted to see me,” Prince Emmanuel recalled. “I agreed to meet with him on the condition that the overriding priority and hence the fulcrum of our discussion will be the release of my brother.”
The alleged agreement was that IPOB would not boycott the polls if Tinubu would release Kanu if elected President. “Seyi confirmed to me that his father sanctioned the meeting and that I should consider any agreement we reach as binding on the then candidate Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu,” Prince Emmanuel said.
“In good faith, we agreed that I shall relay the outcome to my brother to reinforce the long-held tradition of IPOB not interfering with the conduct of elections, either through boycott or any other form of civil disobedience,” Prince Emmanuel explained. “This understanding was duly communicated to my brother, and he reaffirmed his commitment not to stop the elections or order any boycott.”
Prince Emmanuel noted that President Tinubu also publicly reiterated his commitment to facilitating Kanu’s release during his campaign visit to Owerri. “When President Tinubu, as a candidate, visited Owerri during his campaign, he too reiterated his commitment to facilitate the release of my brother if elected,” Prince Emmanuel said.
“We took his public statement as a tacit reaffirmation of the understanding I reached with his son Seyi.”
Despite this understanding, Kanu remains in detention nearly two years after Tinubu’s inauguration. “It therefore defies logic that nearly two years after President Tinubu assumed the mantle of leadership in Nigeria, my brother is still in detention despite not having any charge against him,” Prince Emmanuel stated.
“It’s been over three months now that Justice Binta Nyako recused herself from the case, yet no new judge has been assigned the case.”
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Prince Emmanuel expressed frustration with the Nigerian court system’s handling of Kanu’s case. “The truth is that Nigerian courts cannot, will not, and do not have both the substantive and procedural jurisdiction to try him,” he asserted.
“His detention is without the backing of any known law in Nigeria or elsewhere in the world.”
The family is disappointed that President Tinubu has not honored the pact. “It’s a shame that those who claim to be men of honour cannot honour their word,” Prince Emmanuel said.
“Supreme Court determination that his bail ought not to have been revoked has been ignored by the courts and the government. The latest insult is that Abuja courts of all persuasion are no longer willing to determine the case of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu on merit but are rather relying on ludicrous and inapplicable technicalities to stall the timely determination of his cases.”