Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), has not been released by the federal government, according to Abubakar Malami, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation.
This is in spite of the Federal High Court ordering the Federal Government to send Kanu back to Kenya and pay him N500 million when it was sitting in Umuahia, the capital of Abia State.
Kanu is still being kept in the facility of the Department of State Services (DSS), according to information provided by Malami on Thursday.
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In an interview with Newsmen, the minister stated that the IPOB leader’s rendition could not be the main justification for his release.
He added that Kanu cannot be exonerated of other charges brought against him by the Federal Government.
Malami pointed out that there are four main reasons why the Federal Government is holding onto Kanu, concerns that came before the rendition case, for which the court exonerated him.
Malami said, “To release or not to release Nnamdi Kanu is a function of law and the rule of law for that matter. In arriving at a decision on whether to release or not release, is one; you look at the rule of law, two; you look at the public and the national interest, three; you look at the security situation, four; you look at international diplomacy.
“Let me talk first about the rule of law. This is someone that has been granted bail on account of charges that have been preferred against him at the court. Someone jumping bail to the international community, a case of a fugitive is established against the background of jumping the bail.
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“Two, arising from the national security, this is someone that is charged with treason, incitement and destruction of civil authority, murder and assassination of others on account of his incitement, that boil down to issues of national security and criminality.
“Three, on account of international diplomacy, this is someone that has against his person, used the international community or a foreign country to launch an attack against a nation, against his nation for that matter.
“So all these naturally come into play to determine what to do. So if you have through judicial processes establish multiple cases of treason, homicide, and bail-jumping among others; the fact that you have indeed succeeded in one case as against multiple others that are pending goes to establish the fact that that case cannot be the only basis and criteria for determining whether you are entitled to be released or not.”
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