In a chat with Sahara
Reporter Nnamdi Kanu described Nigeria as an animal Zoo.
The leader of the Indigenous
People of Biafra and ceo of Radio Biafra, berate of Governor Rochas Okorocha of
Islamising Imo State.
Kanu, however, said in one
of the statements he made to the Department of State Services after he was
arrested at a Lagos hotel on October 14, 2015 that he made the said comments in
order to facilitate societal change.
Kanu and two others have
been charged with treason and other related offences on account of his
agitation for the secession of the South-East and other areas of the country to
form a sovereign state of Biafra.
Radio Biafra leader
confirmed in the statement, dated October 24, 2015, that he made the comments,
calling Nigeria a zoo to justify his belief that the only language its people
understood was violence in the interview with Sahara Reporters.
He said he also accused
Okorocha of Islamising Imo State in the said interview.
Kanu stated, “A Sahara
Reporters’ interview was played by officers of the DSS on October 24, 2015, as
part of my interrogation and I acknowledged that it was me that gave the
interview and the answers I provided were done by me.
“As I have earlier stated
in past interrogation, the statements I make are purely designed to elicit
reaction that will facilitate the desired change which is needed.
“In the interview, I made
reference and said, ‘the zoo has come to an end, they keep killing our
people…’.
“In the interview, I also
said ‘the language the people hear in the zoo is violence. If they fail to give
us Biafra, Somalia will be a child’s play’, yes, I stated that in the
interview.
“Again, I was asked (and I
said), ‘If they do not give us Biafra, there would be no one living in the
zoo,’ yes, I said so.
“I was also asked did I say
that Rochas had Islamised Imo State and I said yes. I was also asked to confirm
that I said that I do not believe that a peaceful approach to the restoration
of Biafra was viable because I am not aware of anywhere else in the world where
that is the case considering the history of the countries and their approach to
such issues.”
He also denied belonging to
Biafra Zionist Movement but admitted he believed in the group’s cause.
“I do not belong to Biafra
Zionist Movement. However, I stated my support for its action because it was a
civil act designed to highlight societal injustice.
“The said act involved a
group of civilians massing at the Government House at Enugu to hoist the
Biafran flag,” he added.
The 48-year-old, who
re-affirmed himself as the leader of IPOB, also gave an insight into the
leadership structure of the group.
He stated, “I wish to state
for the records that I, Nnamdi Kanu, is the Leader of the Indigenous People of
Biafra and Director of Radio Biafra and is in charge of the running of the
organisation. In terms of the organisational structure, I can confirm that the
office of the Director sits at the apex.”
Kanu said under him was
Mazi Udanna Asiegbu.
He added, “Under him
(Asiegbu) is the office of the CoC, which translates into the Co-ordinator of
Co-ordinators and under him comes the Continental Representatives and are as
follows:
“(1) North America is
represented by Mr. Nnamaram Ugochukwu; South America, by Leornard Aniemene, who
is resident in Trinidad and Tobago. Mazi Asiegbu is resident in Spain and
Clifford Iroanya, the Coordinator of Coordinators, is resident in Houston
Texas, USA.
“Nnamaram Ugochukwu is
resident in Dallas, Texas. The continent of Europe is represented by Mazi
Edoziem in Switzerland; Asia continent is represented by Onyinyechi Nlebedim in
Malaysia while Australia is represented by Austin Ofomah, who resides in
Canberra, Australia.”
Operatives of the DSS on
October 14, 2015, arrested Kanu at the Golden Tulip Airport Hotel, where he
allegedly checked into using a fictitious name.
On December 23, the accused
persons were scheduled for arraignment before a Federal High Court in Abuja,
but Kanu refused to take his plea to the six counts of treason and other
charges instituted against him and his two co-defendants due to what he called
his lack of confidence in the presiding judge, Justice Ahmed Mohammed.
The judge promptly returned
the case file to the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, Justice Ibrahim
Auta, for reassignment to another judge and the three accused persons were
returned to the custody of the DSS.
The Federal Government, through
the Federal Director of Public Prosecutions, Mr. Mohammed Diri, alleged in its
summary of its case in the newly filed six counts that the IPOB leader checked
into the hotel using the name, Ezebuiro Nwannekaenyi, in order to conceal his
identity.
Diri stated this in a
document listing the proposed prosecution witnesses lined up to testify against
Kanu and the two others.
Apart from Kanu, one of the
two other defendants in the six counts filed by the Federal Government is a
Field Maintenance Engineer, David Nwawuisi, of Ericson, who maintains MTN masts
in Enugu State.
The other defendant,
Benjamin Madubugwu, was said to be living in Ubilisiuzo, Ihiala Local
Government Area of Anambra State, where he allegedly received custody of a
container housing radio transmitters meant for Radio Biafra from Kanu.
No new date
has been fixed for the arraignment of the accused persons.
The fresh charges were
filed against the three men barely 24 hours after Justice Adeniyi Ademola, in a
ruling on Kanu’s bail application on December 17, ordered his unconditional
release from DSS custody having been detained for about two months without any
valid charges filed against him.
Punch
Sahara Reporter
Naija is full of greedy animals. Very true
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