Kanu Has Committed No Crime, Deserves Unconditional Release – Lawyer

By: Bayero Ade

Aloy Ejimakor, the legal counsel for the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, has stated that there is no need for anyone to plead for his release, as he has committed no crime.

According to Afripost,In a statement issued on Saturday, Ejimakor emphasized that Kanu’s release should be based on legal compliance rather than political clemency or executive discretion. He pointed out that both a Federal High Court in Nigeria and international tribunals had declared his detention unlawful, making his continued incarceration a violation of judicial rulings.

“The issue is not about granting pardon or showing mercy; it is about obeying court judgments that have ruled his detention unconstitutional,” Ejimakor said.

According to the lawyer, Kanu remains steadfast in his position that he has not committed any offense under Nigerian or international law. He reiterated that self-determination, which forms the basis of Kanu’s activism, is recognized under Nigerian law and upheld by international treaties endorsed by the United Nations, the United Kingdom, and Kenya.

Ejimakor also cautioned that calls for clemency could wrongly suggest that Kanu is guilty of a crime, thereby emboldening authorities to persist with what he described as an unjust prosecution. Instead of seeking a pardon, he urged Kanu’s supporters to adopt a more strategic approach similar to that of groups like Afenifere, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, and the World Igbo Congress, all of which have consistently insisted that Kanu should be released unconditionally.

He further argued that if anyone should be seeking forgiveness, it is the Nigerian government, which, according to him, violated international laws by forcefully extraditing Kanu. He described the act as a serious breach of diplomatic and legal protocols that should not be ignored.

Calls for Kanu’s release have continued to intensify, with several political figures advocating for his freedom. Recently, the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu, appealed to President Bola Tinubu to facilitate his release as part of efforts to restore peace in the South-East.

Meanwhile, Kanu is scheduled to appear before Justice Binta Nyako at the Federal High Court in Abuja on Monday. This follows his request for the transfer of his case to the South-East if no other judge in Abuja is willing to preside over it apart from Justice Nyako.