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Nnamdi Kanu can’t be fairly prosecuted for terrorism charges by FG, Igbo ministers insist
The Igbo Ministers Commission of South East has again restated that the Nigerian government cannot fairly prosecute the leader of the Igbo nation agitators, Nnamdi Kanu on terrorism charges and any other offense known to law.
The group in objecting to the trial of Kanu by the federal government, predicated its opposition on the alleged breach by the country of its own laws and international obligations.
In a statement on Thursday, in Abuja, the Ministers faulted the way and manner Kanu was brought in 2021 to the country through what they described as “kidnapping and state sponsored international banditry”.
Rev Tony Uzo Anthony, the international President of the concerned Igbo Ministers Commission signed the statement on behalf of his colleagues.
The statement read in part “We understand that the upcoming trial of Onyendu Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, scheduled to begin on 21 March 2025 in Abuja, has raised many questions and concerns.
“As this case is of great public interest, we believe it is important to break down the key legal issues in simple terms so that everyone can understand what is at stake.
“Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of the great and noble family of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), is being tried on charges related to terrorism- they have abandoned treason and treasonable felony after many years of maligning our leader and peddling worthless charges all because they want to cripple his legitimate right to agitate for Biafra.
“The fact remains that the way he was brought back to Nigeria—through kidnapping and state sponsored international banditry—has raised serious legal questions.
“The Supreme Court judgement that nullified the sound judgement of the Appeal Court that discharged him and referred the matter back to the high court, is now dead on arrival. This case is restarting from scratch (de Novo), which means all previous proceedings are set aside, and the trial will begin anew.
“Can Nigeria prosecute Onyendu for Terrorism After Breaking International Laws? Nigeria’s Terrorism Prevention and Prohibition Act (TPPA) 2022 defines terrorism as acts committed to further an ideology (political, religious, racial, or ethnic) that violate international treaties.
“The abduction of Onyendu, an act described as criminal by the Nigeria’s apex court, violated several international treaties Nigeria has signed. This raises the question: Can a government that breaks its own laws and international obligations fairly prosecute someone for terrorism?
“Section 19(d) of the Nigerian Constitution requires the government to respect international laws and treaties. By abducting the IPOB Leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, the government of Nigeria has broken these laws as confirmed by the Supreme Court, which weakens Nigeria’s moral and legal standing in this case.
“The TPPA 2022 replaced an older law, the TPPA 2013. The new law allows the government to continue using the old law for cases that started before the change.
“However, since this case is restarting from scratch, courts have ruled that old laws cannot be used for new cases. This means the government will not be able to rely on the old law to charge him.
“Starting de Novo means the case is beginning anew, as if the previous trial never happened. This makes it harder for the government to use old laws or past actions to justify new charges. This means that he can no longer be charged under the old law which is the Terrorism Prevention Amendment Act (TPAA) 2013.
“This case is not just about Onyendu Mazi Nnamdi Kanu; it is about the rule of law and the integrity of Nigeria’s justice system. If the government can break its own laws and international treaties, it sets a dangerous precedent for how citizens are treated. A fair and transparent trial is essential to uphold justice and maintain public trust in the legal system.
“We urge the international community to prevail upon the Nigerian government to
ensure that Mazi Nnamdi Kanu’s trial is conducted in the open and is seen to be fair and transparent, in line with the laws of Nigeria and especially its Constitution and international laws.
“Government should avoid using outdated laws to prosecute him, as this would be against legal principles and a violation of the Constitution of Nigeria. It should uphold the rule of law and respect for human rights, which are the foundation of any democratic society.
“The trial of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu is a test of Nigeria’s commitment to justice and the rule of law. We call on all nations and peoples of the world to pay attention to this case and demand a process that is fair, transparent, and respectful of the municipal laws and international obligations.
“Together, we can ensure that justice is not only done but seen to be done”, the statement said.
The Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, has announced that all full-time Higher National Diploma (HND) graduates will now be mobilised for the National Youth Service (NYSC).
The Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, disclosed this in a statement issued in Abuja on Thursday by the Director of Press and Public Relations in the ministry, Folasade Boriowo.
Boriowo quoted Alausa as saying that after discussions with the Director-General of NYSC, only full-time HND graduates were eligible and could thereafter proceed with their mobilisation.
This development, he said, marked a major breakthrough for full-time HND graduates who were previously excluded from the NYSC programme.
According to him, it underscores the Federal Ministry of Education’s commitment to equity, fairness, and inclusivity in the nation’s education system.
“However, those who did HND part-time are not eligible for mobilisation at all.
“To facilitate a seamless mobilisation process, the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) has been directed to expedite the collation of data for eligible HND graduates.
“In line with this, a circular has been sent to all Rectors of Polytechnics, instructing them to upload the necessary graduate data onto the newly created HND admission portal,” he said.
Alausa emphasised that NYSC mobilisation was strictly for those who completed a full-time HND programme.
He stressed that only full-time HND graduates would be mobilised, while those who did HND part-time remained ineligible.
He further disclosed that the newly created portal would ensure proper documentation of full-time HND graduates.
He added that this would also serve as the official database for NYSC mobilisation, addressing past challenges related to admission records.
The minister urged all eligible full-time HND graduates to take full advantage of this opportunity and proceed with their mobilisation without delay.
He reaffirmed the government’s commitment to fostering equal opportunities for all qualified Nigerian graduates and ensuring their contributions to national development through the NYSC scheme. (NAN)
The Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON) on Thursday advocated true autonomy for Local Governments(LGs), saying it will help in managing and solving security challenges facing the country.
Former ALGON President and member of Board of Trustees (BOT), Hon. Ibrahim Dasuki, said this at a news conference, organised shortly after an emergency meeting of the Executive Council, Board of Trustees (BOT) and past Presidents of ALGON in Abuja.
Dasuki said the local governments and traditional institutions have a key role to play in security matters as the security challenges were mostly happened at local government levels.
“If you look at the security challenges we are facing in Nigeria, virtually in every zone are local in nature, it does not happen in the city, be it insurgency, banditry and others are mostly happened at local government levels.
“Why is it so, it is because of the failure of the local government system. If you could look back to the history, our local governments played key roles in ensuring peace and security especially the responsibilities given to traditional institutions.
“Over times, there were reforms, especially in 1976. In the north, we had a native authority, and Emir was a leader then. Whoever comes to town and city, he must be registered, he must be known.”
Dasuki recalled that due to the reforms, the government split the native authority with the emirate system.
He said this created a vacuum in terms of checkmating who goes in and out, resulting to missing link in the operation of local governments.
According to him, unless and until we go back and look at the older system, the security challenges bedeviling the country will be found difficult to address.
“You can deploy number of security personnel, and use whatever weapons, but so long as you don’t have structure, you can have some achievements in the short term but it cannot be sustained, you will see reemergence again.
“I will like to call on the government to look at the local government’s role in security matters.
“It is imperative because despite the fact that there is security committee comprising all the security agencies, we have to incorporate traditional institutions to the system so that they play a key role in solving security challenges.”
He also commended the Supreme Court judgment on LGs financial autonomy currently implemented by the administration of President Bola Tinubu.
“We have happy that things have started to change with the Supreme Court judgment because the Supreme court has not left any stone unturned regarding the proper administration of local government.
“It (judgment) talks about the financial autonomy, administrative autonomy and political autonomy. The financial autonomy had been granted long time ago through signing of Executive Order by former President Muhammadu Buhari.
“President Bola Tinubu is currently implementing the Supreme Court judgment on the financial autonomy, and also administrative autonomy.
“The political aspect is also being done by the National Assembly as the NASS lawmakers were directed to look at those key areas so that true autonomy of local government can be achieved.
“So, if that can be done and achieved over a period of time, I believe that some of the security challenges we are seeing can be managed and probably resolved in due time,” he said
Also speaking, Hon. Odunayo Ategbero, BOT Chairman of ALGON, commended the Implementation Committee on LGs Financial Autonomy for making a laudable progress in spite of its challenges.
Ategbero said, “Our focus of discussion remains the Supreme Court judgment of July 11, 2024 which granted the financial autonomy to the local governments in Nigeria.
“We are aware that the Federal Government has set up an implementation committee under the chairmanship of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation.”
According to him, this implementation committee has commenced its implemention. So, we want to report that so far so good we are impressed in the way they are handling the implementation.
“In spite of bottlenecks, I want to believe that they are making progress. There are pressure on this committee not to implement the Supreme Court judgment based on sentiment and personal issue but the committee is patriotic by resisting these pressure that are mounting.
“Steady progress is being made because they have actually instructed the local governments across the country to go and open account with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) so that there will be seamless implementation of getting allocation directly.
“So, we need to commend them because if they have yielded to pressure, there would not have been made such a progress.
“They asked local governments to go and open accounts at the CBN. And it is only when the accounts open at CBN, the money can transfer to that accounts for local governments to do grassroots projects.” (NAN)
The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Mr Nyesom Wike, has pledged to cover all medical expenses for the victims of Wednesday’s accident near Karu Bridge along the Abuja-Keffi Expressway.
Wike stated this in a statement issued on Thursday in Abuja by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communications and Social Media, Mr Lere Olayinka.
Sympathising with the victims, Wike described the accident as “avoidable.”
“It was painful that precious lives were lost, and vehicles were destroyed in an accident that could have been avoided,” he said.
He condoled the families of those who lost their lives and directed continued treatments of those who sustained injuries.
The minister said he had directed the Mandate Secretary, Health Services and Environment Secretariat, Dr Adedolapo Fasawe to ensure prompt treatment of the injured.
“Following my directive, Fasawe visited Asokoro District Hospital on Thursday morning and was part of the medical team that attended to the 17 casualties brought to the facility.”
“She informed me that after initial stabilisation, seven were referred to the National Hospital, while six with minor injuries were treated successfully,” Wike said.
He further explained that three victims suffering from severe burns, inhalation, and crush injuries were still receiving treatment at the hospital.
“Regrettably, one of the casualties with third-degree burns passed away while undergoing resuscitation,” he added.
Wike emphasised the need for stricter adherence to traffic regulations, particularly by heavy-duty vehicle drivers, urging them to be cautious and comply with speed limits.
He also called on the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) and other relevant agencies to intensify efforts to enforce traffic laws and ensure the safety of road users.