Why Nobody Should Plead On Nnamdi Kanu’s Behalf – Lawyer, Ejimakor

The lawyer representing the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, has stated that his client’s release should be based on legal competence and not clemency or pardon.

Kanu’s legal counsel, Aloy Ejimakor, urged those begging his release to desist from the act, insisting that the IPOB leader has committed no crime.

The warning was contained in a statement titled “Upholding the Rule of Law Is More Important to Me Than Anything Else”, issued on Saturday.

According to the statement, Kanu appreciated the widespread calls for his release but maintained that both a Federal High Court in Nigeria and international tribunals had declared his detention unlawful. He insisted that the government must adhere to these rulings and release him unconditionally.

“The matter of releasing Mazi Nnamdi Kanu is not an act of mercy, pardon, executive clemency, or even amnesty. Instead, it should be an act of simply complying with the subsisting Federal High Court judgment that declared his detention unconstitutional or even the extant international tribunal decisions that separately declared his detention unlawful,” the statement read.

Ejimakor further conveyed Kanu’s stance that his case does not require clemency, as he believes he has committed no crime.

“Onyendu Mazi Nnamdi Kanu is adamant that nobody should plead or beg anybody on his behalf because he has committed no crime. Self-determination, which is the real issue that got twisted to suddenly become a high crime, is an inalienable right guaranteed under the laws of Nigeria, the United Nations, the United Kingdom, and Kenya.

“The perverse and unlawful criminalisation of his exercise of this right should not unwittingly be encouraged through some misguided appeals for pardon, clemency, or mercy. Releasing Mazi Nnamdi Kanu is not an act of mercy or pardon but an act of abiding by the rule of law.”

Kanu’s lawyer also warned that calls for his pardon could be misinterpreted as an admission of guilt, which could embolden the executive branch and the courts to continue what he described as an unlawful prosecution.

“As much as those calling for his release are sincere, their calls for pardon or clemency may be misconstrued as a green light to the executive branch or even the courts to violate the rule of law by continuing to subject Mazi Nnamdi Kanu to a prosecution or trial that does not comport with the tenets of the Constitution and Nigeria’s treaty obligations,” Ejimakor stated.

Instead of pleading, Kanu urged his supporters to adopt the approach of groups such as Afenifere, Ohanaeze, the World Igbo Congress, members of the National Assembly, and international organisations that have insisted he has committed no offence and should be released.