A legal practitioner and chieftain of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Kenneth Okonkwo, has called for the release of the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu.
Kanu, the embattled IPOB leader, has been in the custody of the Department of State Services (DSS) since his re-arrest in June 2021.
Since then, several calls have been made for his release. Some actors, including the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu, as well as regional governors from the South-East, have repeatedly urged the Federal Government to release the IPOB leader.
Renewing the calls on Monday, Okonkwo demanded a political solution to the case.
The actor-turned-lawyer lamented that Kanu has been incarcerated for seven years, decrying the poor dispensation of justice.
According to him, many people are frustrated with the government’s handling of the case.
Quoting Section 36 of the Constitution, Okonkwo said every Nigerian is deemed to be innocent until proven guilty.
“A nation that detains a human being for more than seven years. You have him in your custody and yet you couldn’t even reach a judgment as to the culpability of his crime is a nation that is failing in the dispensation of justice,” he stated.
“Justice delayed is justice denied. When it comes to the issue of crime, the Constitution is very clear that the accused or defendant should be judged within a reasonable time.
“It is very unreasonable to keep a man in detention for almost seven years. What are you judging?” he queried on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily.
For Okonkwo, “In the case of Nnamdi Kanu, the legal processes have been abused. Nobody remains sane to be in jail for more than seven years while a case is being tried.
“People are frustrated, people believe that if you do not find anything against this man, release him or reach a political solution.”
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