Biafra activist, Nnamdi Kanu.
Latest Biafra news on Nnamdi Kanu, IPOB today, 12 November 2022, can be accessed below.
Newsone has compiled the latest Biafra news today, which means the latest news about Biafra activist Nnamdi Kanu and other Biafra groups such as the IPOB, MASSOB, BIM, and BNL.
The detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, Nnamdi Kanu, has dismissed the amended seven-count terrorism charge the Federal Government preferred against him, describing it as baseless and ill-advised.
Kanu, who is currently in custody of the Department of State Service, DSS, through his team of lawyers, maintained that the amended charge was the same that was recently struck out by the Court of Appeal.
He alleged that FG “surreptitiously” and “clandestinely” amended the charge, hours after the October 13 judgement of the Court of Appeal that discharged him of all the allegations and ordered his release from detention.
The leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu, who is battling to secure his freedom, is seriously contemplating overhauling his legal team following his dissatisfaction with factions contending to represent him and the group.
Close sources confirmed that several persons have emerged to lay claim to be representing the legal interest of the IPoB leader and the secession group in recent months, leading to the emergence of many factions competing against themselves but
But a source close to Kanu said last night that the IPoB leader was worried over the emergence of many individuals and groups all claiming to be pursuing the legal interest of the group at a time the image of the group and leadership was waning.
Finding reveals that there are no fewer than three main legal factions fighting for the soul of IPoB and Kanu even though he actually prefers and recognizes the team headed by a senior lawyer and activist given his revered position in the profession and the respect that he commands among peers in the bar and the bench.
The senior lawyer is believed to have done a credible job that has secured some wins for the leader and the group but some of the lawyers, who see themselves as the ‘mainstream Biafran lawyers’ are said to be miffed that they have been ‘left out’ of the opportunity to make quick gains.
Some of the powerful leaders of the group are said to be subtly rooting for two of its members, who are also lawyers but do not command considerable weight, respect and goodwill in the Nigerian legal circles and abroad as the one preferred by the IPoB leader.
However, it was learnt that some of the IPoB community members in the South East, where the two lawyers hail from, want the duo to be at the forefront of Kanu’s legal matters because of their seeming popularity in the South East and IPoB circles.
But a third legal front said to be largely operating offshore, is believed to be vehemently opposed to their South East counterparts leading the charge, claiming that they should be allowed to manage the legal fireworks for Kanu, having been at the forefront of his defence before others were brought in to take over their work.
“What this means is that there is serious infighting among the legal teams and the leader is seriously worried to the point of accusing some of these people of working for pecuniary interest and not IPoP and he is contemplating firing some of those lawyers,” a competent source said.
The Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, has described the Leader of the Ilana Omo Oodua, a group championing self-determination for the Yoruba Nation, Professor Banji Akintoye, as an enemy of its leader, Nnamdi Kanu.
IPOB said Akintoye’s remark that Kanu was a noisemaker was an indication of his hatred for the Biafra agitator.
Akintoye had described the IPOB’s leader as a noisemaker while applauding the Yoruba Nation agitator, Sunday Igboho.
The Professor, had, also denied working with the Biafra nation agitator, Nnamdi Kanu
Reacting, the spokesman of IPOB, Emma Powerful, accused Akintoye of working with enemies of Biafra agitation against Kanu.
A statement by Powerful reads partly: “We the global movement and family of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) under the command and leadership of the great liberator and prophet, Mazi Nnamdi Okwuchukwu KANU condemn the unguided statement from Prof. Akintoye during his BBC interview where he ignorantly referred to Mazi Nnamdi Kanu as a noise maker while praising Sunday Igboho.
“It’s unfortunate that this old man, whom our Leader and IPOB hold in high esteem, will stoop so low to speak like a Nigeria-paid agent. Prof Akintoye should understand that KANU is the only man that put fear in the Fulanized Government of Nigeria. For him to refer to our Leader as a noise maker shows the level of hatred he has for our Leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu. If Prof. Akintoye’s boy, Sunday Igboho, and Yoruba agitators are making noise, Nnamdi KANU and IPOB are not. We are in serious business in our quest for the restoration of Biafra.”
Members of the Indigenous People of Biafra on Friday protested in Aba, Abia State over the non-release of their leader, Nnamdi Kanu by the Federal Government.
The protesters vowed not to allow the 2023 election hold in the South East if their leader was not released and Biafra granted them.
They urged Nigeria to forget 2023 election in South East “if our leader, Nnamdi Kanu, is still in DSS custody”.
The protest which was held in Abia South local government areas was peaceful, non-violent and was monitored by security agencies.
The protesters warned that they would be forced to not only shutdown the economy of the state and South East, but the entire country until their leader was released from the detention.
“Some of the courts asked that they should take our leader back to Kenya where they illegally abducted him from.
“This is part of our renewed warning signal to the federal government that they should forget 2023 elections in the southeast if they continue to detain Nnamdi Kanu”, the protesters said.
IPOB made the allegation on Tuesday in a statement by its Media and Publicity Secretary, Emma Powerful.
The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has accused Governor Hope Uzodinma of Imo State of working with the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice (AGF), Abubakar Malami on the government’s refusal to release its leader, Nnamdi Kanu from the detention.
IPOB made the allegation on Tuesday in a statement by its Media and Publicity Secretary, Emma Powerful.
The group also said that a former Governor of Imo State, Emeka Ihedioha and his party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) insulted Ndigbo (Southeasterners) in Enugu State and that he was also moving against the release of Kanu, therefore, “we are coming for him and Hope Uzodinma.”
IPOB also alleged that it had credible information that Governor Uzodinma shared funds meant for security with government officials in Abuja, while he travelled abroad weekly to deposit the rest of the funds in his foreign bank accounts.
According to the statement, IPOB said, “The global family and movement of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) under the command and leadership of the great leader Mazi Nnamdi Kanu wish to alert Biafrans, friends of Biafra and lovers of freedom across the globe that Hope Uzodinma the Governor of Imo State is among those responsible for Malami and the cabals’ refusal to release our leader, Nnamdi KANU, from DSS custody after Appeal Court acquitted and discharged him.
“Hope Uzodinma was made Governor of Imo State by Aso Rock through the Supreme Court legal maneuvering to heighten the insecurity and banditry in Imo State and the entire Eastern Region so they can blackmail IPOB.
he South-East Governors’ Forum has called on the Federal Government to deploy a political solution to the case of the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu.
The governors made the demand on Sunday after an emergency meeting held in Enugu.
The demand forms part of a communique issued at the end of the meeting and read by the forum’s chairman and Governor of Ebonyi State, David Umahi.
Reading the resolutions of the forum, Umahi said, “South-East Governors are watching with keen interest the developments with respect to the case of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu viz-a-viz the Court rulings. However, we believe that a political solution is still possible in this circumstance.”
The forum decried the state of insecurity in the region and expressed worry over economic activities which have come to a halt while kidnapping and wanton killing have become the order of the day.
They also resolved to set up a 24-hour joint patrol in all major highways in the region.
The Movement for the Actualization of the Sovereign State of Biafra, MASSOB, has disowned some dissidents in the forests of Oduma in Aninri local government area and her neighbouring communities of Nkerefi, Nomeh and Mburubu in Nkanu East LGA, all in Enugu state.
MASSOB alleged that the criminal elements were terrorizing the areas in the name of Biafra agitation, noting that its intelligence shows that the gangsters operate in a camp within the borderline between Nkerefi and Oduma forest called Ngene Awa by Oduma people but called Okobo by Nkerefi people.
Enugu state coordinator of MASSOB, Daniel Onyebuchi, during the weekend, said that the criminals have subjected members of the communities to slavery, where the indigenous people can no longer go to their farms in the present harvesting season because of fear of being kidnapped, raped or killed by the criminal youths.
“It is unfortunate that these youths with brighter futures have turned themselves into criminal activities by making kidnapping a lucrative business. MASSOB blames the state governments in the Southeast zone for their failure to create jobs opportunities and solid empowerment for our youths,” Onyebuchi lamented.
He said that MASSOB observed that about five persons have been kidnapped in those areas, including community leaders and those who could not pay the demanded ransom and have remained in the terrorists’ custody.
”The neighbourhood security outfit in the area was attacked and disarmed by these unknown gunmen. MASSOB advised these gangsters youths to rethink damaging their futures. They should leave the forest now, stop every criminal activity in the name of Biafra agitation and be useful with their lives before is too late
“It is very clear that these people are not fighting for Biafra actualization, because Biafra agitators cannot be involved in kidnapping, stealing, raping and making life unbearable for your own people whom you claim you are fighting for,” Onyebuchi advised.
Court has ordered FG to pay Nnamdi Kanu N500m and return him to Kenya immediately.
Newsone reports that a Federal High Court sitting in Umuahia, Abia state, southeast Nigeria, has ordered the President Muhammadu Buhari led Federal Government to pay N500 million damages to the Leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu for his forcible extradition and extraordinary rendition from Kenya.
This online news platform understands that the presiding Judge, Justice Evelyn Anyadike, who gave the judgment on Wednesday, October 26, 2022, said that the Federal Government and its agencies grossly violated Kanu’s fundamental human rights by illegally renditioning him back to Nigeria without due process.
The court in its ruling, ordered the Federal Government to return the IPOB Leader to Kenya where he was before the June 19 2021 forceful disappearance from the East African country.
Nnamdi Kanu has won again with the court ruling against Buhari Government.
Newsone reports that the President Muhammadu Buhari-led Federal Government of Nigeria has lost its bid to transfer the suit of the extraordinary rendition of Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, from Umuahia to Abuja.
The Feder al High Court in Umuahia, Abia State in a ruling on Wednesday, October 26, 2022, insisted that it has the jurisdiction to hear and determine the suit against Nnamdi Kanu.
A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja, on Thursday, adjourned hearing on the suit filed by the Coalition of Northern Groups (CNG) seeking a referendum to determine the fate of Biafra and other self-determination agitations to January 27, 2023.
It would be recalled that the CNG had in June 2021 dragged the National Assembly and the Attorney-General of the Federation to Court, asking it to compel the defendants to halt the ongoing constitutional review exercise and in its place, conduct a referendum to determine what determines Nigeria and who populates it.
The Federal Government has filed seven grounds of appeal against the October 13 Court of Appeal judgment which discharged the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu.
It asked the Supreme Court to set aside the judgment and restore the charge against the respondent to be tried at the trial court.
The government, in a motion on notice in support of the appeal, is also seeking a stay of execution of the judgment of the court presided over by Justice Jummai Sankey, pending the hearing and final determination of its appeal, noting that the IPOB leader posed a flight risk.
The notice of appeal dated October 18 was signed by the Director, Public Prosecution of the Federation, Mohammed Abubakar, Assistant Chief State Counsel, D. Kaswe and A. Aluko and Senior State Counsel, G. Nweze, Department of Public Prosecution, Federal Ministry of Justice.
The appellant averred that the appellate court erred in law when it held that the trial court had no jurisdiction to try Kanu because of “the extraordinary rendition of the respondent.”
It stated, “There was no evidence led by the respondent before the court of the first instance and indeed before the court below to show how he was allegedly abducted and rendered to Nigeria as required by Section 139 of the Evidence Act, 2011 since he alleged that he was abducted without following due process of law.”
The appellant also contended that the court below erred when it held that the executive arm must not be allowed to benefit from the abduction of the respondent “when in fact and by its judgment, the respondent was allowed to benefit from his illegality of disobeying the orders of the court when he jumped bail and was rewarded with a discharge from the charges pending against him at the trial court thereby occasioning a miscarriage of justice against the state and the victims of the crimes perpetrated by the respondent.”
Newsone reports that the Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital, has discharged and acquired the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Mazi Nnamdi Kanu of terrorism charges.
This online news platform understands that the Biafra activist Kanu approached the Appeal Court seeking to quash terrorism charges brought against him by the Federal Government of Nigeria led by President Muhammadu Buhari.
Newsone Nigeria reports that the IPOB leader had faulted the order of Justice Binta Nyako of the Abuja Division of the Federal High Court, which ordered him to answer seven out of the 15-count terrorism charge against him.
The IPOB leader had prayed the appellate court to quash the entire charges and set him free on various grounds. He had said the purported offences were not committed in Nigeria.
Ruling on the matter today, Thursday, October 13, 2022, Justice Hanatu Sankey-led 3-man panel of Justices, discharged Kanu.
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