pay me N5bn damages – Nnamdi Kanu tells Buhari govt

 

Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, has prayed an Abia State High Court to order the Nigerian government to release him.

Kanu, through his Special Counsel, Aloy Ejimakor, also prayed the court to order the Nigerian Government to pay him the sum of N5 billion as compensation for infringing on his fundamental human rights.

Ejimakor disclosed this while commencing the enforcement of Kanu’s fundamental rights.

In a statement he signed on Tuesday, Ejimakor urged the court to compel the Nigerian government to release the IPOB leader.

Nnamdi Kanu: There will be no trial of IPOB leader – Lawyer, Ejimakor

According to Ejimakor: “Today, I secured an order from the High Court of Abia State to serve by substituted an application for enforcement of the fundamental rights of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, which I recently brought before the High Court of Abia State.”

He pointed out that Kanu’s rights were infringed upon during the alleged extrajudicial attempt on his life in 2017 in Abia and his abduction in Kenya and his extraordinary rendition to Nigeria.

Ejimakor further sought some reliefs from the court on the enforcement of Kanu’s fundamental rights.

Amongst the reliefs sought, Ejimakor prayed the court to compel the Nigerian Government to apologise to Kanu openly.

He said an apology letter should be published in national dailies.

The reliefs read partly: “An order mandating and compelling the respondents or their agents to forthwith release the applicant from detention and restitute or otherwise restore applicant to his liberty, same being his state of being as of 19th June, 2021; and to thereupon repatriate the Applicant to his country of domicile (to wit: Britain) to await the outcome of any formal request the Respondents may file before the competent authorities in Britain for the lawful extradition of the Applicant to Nigeria to continue his prosecution in Charge No: FHC/ABJ/CR/383/2015 (Federal Republic of Nigeria v. Nnamdi Kanu).

“An order mandating and compelling the respondents to pay the sum of N5000,000,000.00 (Five Billion Naira) to the applicant, being monetary damages claimed by the applicant against the respondents jointly and severally for the physical, mental, emotional, psychological and other damages suffered by the applicant as a result of the infringements of applicant’s fundamental rights.”

The Nigerian government has been prosecuting Kanu since 2017 when he was first arrested for agitating for Biafra, and by extension Nigeria’s break up.

He was, however, granted bail by Justice Binta Nyako of an Abuja Federal High Court.

Shortly after the bail, soldiers had invaded his residence in Afaraukwu, Abia State.

Kanu, who alleged that the soldiers were on a mission to kill him, fled Nigeria to Europe where he continued his Biafra agitation.

However, the Nigerian government recently rearrested the IPOB leader in Kenya and repatriated him back to the country.

Following his return to Nigeria, the pro-Biafra agitator locked up in custody of the Department of State Services, DSS.