By George Mgbeleke <\/p>\n
Disturbed by the transfer of IPOB leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, from the Abuja Custodial Centre to Sokoto, Concerned Igbo Ministers Commission has condemned what it described as the politically motivated, insisting the move is intended to punish and frustrate him rather than serve the ends of justice.<\/p>\n
In a press statement issued on Thursday signed by Rev. Tony Uzor Anthony, on behalf of the group, the commission said the decision \u201chas nothing to do with justice, nothing to do with law and order, and everything to do with politics and punishment.\u201d<\/p>\n
The group faulted federal officials who cited insecurity in Abuja prisons, accusing them of turning their own administrative failures into a weapon against Kanu.<\/p>\n
According to the statement, \u201cGovernment officials keep repeating the excuse of \u2018prison insecurity,\u2019 yet they are the ones running the prisons. Instead of fixing their own failures, they now use those same failures as an excuse to keep frustrating one man. We say clearly:
\nIt is wrong, it is unfair, and it is targeted.\u201d<\/p>\n
The commission also took aim at The Nation newspaper, accusing it of functioning as an extension of government propaganda aimed at undermining Kanu\u2019s rights.<\/p>\n
It said, \u201cWe note with disappointment the role of The Nation newspaper, which has now positioned itself as the main mouthpiece for this continued state harassment. Every time there is a government move to undermine Nnamdi Kanu\u2019s rights, The Nation quickly publishes a story that tries to justify it \u2014 even when the facts are wrong or the reasoning makes no sense.\u201d<\/p>\n
The statement further read, \u201cA newspaper that cannot tell the difference between a repealed law and an active one has no moral right to lecture the public.<\/p>\n
A newspaper that refuses to investigate or cross-check facts should not be the one shaping public opinion on such a serious matter.<\/p>\n
The Nation has chosen a side \u2014 and it is the side of repression.\u201d<\/p>\n
Transfer to Sokoto Seen as Deliberate Frustration<\/p>\n
The group argued that relocating Kanu to Sokoto\u2014one of the farthest points from the Abuja courts\u2014was calculated to obstruct his legal rights and disrupt communication with his defence team.<\/p>\n
It stated, \u201cMazi Nnamdi Kanu has ongoing legal rights, including appeals and meetings with his lawyers. Moving him to Sokoto \u2014 one of the farthest places from Abuja courts \u2014 is clearly meant to make his legal work difficult, if not impossible.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf the government believes its own case is strong, why is it afraid of giving him proper access to his lawyers? Why hide him far away?
\nWhy block easy communication?<\/p>\n
\u201cThe answer is simple: this case has never been about justice.\u201d<\/p>\n
The ministers warned against the judiciary being used as a cover for political directives.<\/p>\n
They said, \u201cIt is also important to remind Nigerians that it is not the job of any court to decide the exact prison where someone should be kept. That duty belongs to the Correctional Service, not judges acting under pressure.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe attempt to dress political orders in the robe of the judiciary is one of the biggest problems in this case.\u201d\u00bb<\/p>\n
The statement called on the Federal Government to reverse the transfer and return Kanu to a facility within the Federal Capital Territory.<\/p>\n
It declared, \u201cThe Concerned Igbo ministers commission calls for the immediate return of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu to a custodial centre within the Federal Capital Territory, where he can properly exercise his rights and continue his legal processes without hidden obstacles.\u201d<\/p>\n
The statement warned that, \u201cThis constant mistreatment of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu is not just about one man. It is a test of Nigeria\u2019s commitment to fairness and the rule of law. If this type of behaviour continues unchecked, then no citizen is safe.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe cannot and will not keep quiet.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
By George Mgbeleke Disturbed by the transfer of IPOB leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, from the Abuja Custodial Centre to Sokoto, Concerned Igbo Ministers Commission has condemned what it described as the politically motivated, insisting the move is intended to punish and frustrate him rather than serve the ends of justice. In a press statement issued […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":3534,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[5559,2456,5560],"class_list":["post-9156","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-law-crime","tag-accusing","tag-administrative","tag-turning"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9156","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9156"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9156\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9157,"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9156\/revisions\/9157"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3534"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9156"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9156"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9156"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}