The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria, HURIWA, has reacted to the rearrest and extradition of Nnamdi Kanu, leader of Indigenous Peoples of Biafra, IPOB.
HURIWA, a frontline rights group, charged the Federal Government to respect the rights of Kanu and grant him a fair trial.
The frontline group said the “federal government should respect his constitutionally guaranteed fundamental rights including fair and unbiased trial as specified in section 36 (5) thus “Every person who is charged with a criminal offense shall be presumed to be innocent until he is proved guilty; provided that nothing in this section shall invalidate any law by reason only that the law imposes upon any such person the burden of proving particular facts.”
The group, in a statement by its National Coordinator, Emmanuel Onwubiko, warned the Federal Government against propaganda.
According to the statement, the court of law should be allowed to exercise their constitutionally guaranteed judicial powers as affirmed in Section 6 of 1999 constitution thus: “ 6. (1) The judicial powers of the Federation shall be vested in the courts to which this section relates, being courts established for the Federation. (2) The judicial powers of a State shall be vested in the courts to which this section relates, being courts established, subject as provided by this Constitution, for a State. (3) The courts to which this section relates, established by this Constitution for the Federation and for the States, specified in subsection (5) (a) to (1) of this section, shall be the only superior courts of record in Nigeria; and save as otherwise prescribed by the National Assembly or by the House of Assembly of a State, each court shall have all the powers of a superior court of record.”
Kanu was rearrested in a joint operation by foreign and Nigerian security agents.
Following his rearrest, the IPOB leader was extradited to Nigeria and subsequently re-arraigned to continue his trial.
Against this backdrop, he was dragged before Justice Binta Nyako of an Abuja Federal High Court for the continuation of his trial.
Justice Nyako, after listening to Kanu and the government, remanded him in the custody of the Department of State Services, DSS.
Kanu had a few years ago jumped bail and escaped out of the court.
