Nnamdi Kanu in court flanked by his lawyers during a court hearing recently
‘Kanu never denied being leader of IPOB,’ counsel clarifies
Counsel to detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Barrister Ifeanyi Ejiofor, has described as ‘false and misleading,’ reports credited to Federal Government prosecutor that his client denied being a member of the pro-secession group.
It would be recalled that Counsel to the Federal Government in the trial of Kanu on an amended 15-count charge bordering on terrorism, treason, arms possession, among others, Mr Shuaibu Labaran Magaji, had on the sidelines of the resumed hearing at the Federal High Court in Abuja, Wednesday, claimed that the defendant denied being a member of IPOB when entering his plea during cross-examined by the Justice Binta Nyako court.
According to Magaji, Kanu denied being a member of the Federal Government-proscribed IPOB in court on Wednesday, even as he further alleged that the defense team ambushed the court with an application for bail and another application seeking to quash the charges against its client.
“One of the charges suggesting that the defendant, Nnamdi Kanu is a member of IPOB and he vehemently denied being a member of IPOB. That is very curious and we urge Nigerians to see us through how we are going to prove all those charges against the defendant in no time to come,” Magaji said.
However, reacting to the report which went viral, Thursday, counsel to Kanu, Barrister Ifeanyi Ejiofor, described the prosecutor’s claims as ‘as false and misleading,’ adding that it amounted to ‘misrepresentation/falsehood and wrong narratives being perpetuated by some mischief-makers, and which is unfortunately gradually gaining prominence on social media platforms and print media.’
According to Ejiofor, Kanu only denied the claim that IPOB was a fear-based oppressor group while taking his plea.
In a statement, Ejiofor said: “Our attention has been drawn to the deliberate misrepresentation/falsehood and wrong narratives being perpetuated by some mischief-makers, and which is unfortunately gradually gaining prominence on social media platforms and print media. Hence, it is pertinent that we provide clarification and clear the doubt.
“S.M. Labaran Esq., who stood in yesterday for the Director of Public Prosecution of the Federation is a colleague I hold in high esteem, but I shall resist every mischievous ploy being adopted to misinform the unsuspecting members of the public who were not privy to the details of the proceedings in court yesterday, with a wrong and mischievous interpretation of the purport of the Plea taken by our indefatigable Client – Onyendu Mazi Nnamdi Kanu.
“For the records, Onyendu Mazi Nnamdi Kanu never denied being the Leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) while taking his plea, but only stoutly denied the fact that IPOB is a terrorist organisation and that being its leader is an offence, which position is well informed.
“Members of the public should be well guided that the status of the black market order proscribing IPOB is a subject of Appeal in Appeal Number: APPEAL NO. CA/A/214/2018, pending before the Court of Appeal, Abuja Division.
“That being said, it is only laughable that the Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN) in their desperate but futile attempt to give a dog a bad name in order to hang it, brought a charge bordering on the status of IPOB, a subject matter of a competent Appeal, where issues have been joined with the same FGN.
“We do not wish to dwell further on this subject, but be rightly informed that Kanu never denied being the Leader of IPOB while taking his Plea yesterday,” Ejiofor said.
