Northern elders attack Ohanaeze over Nnamdi Kanu
- Northern elders have accused Ohanaeze Ndigbo of protecting Nnamdi Kanu
- The elders alleged that Ohanaeze is giving the impression that Kanu should not be rearrested because of his tribe
- The elders from the north also said the quit notice from the region to Igbos living in the north was as a result of south-eastern elders' reaction to Kanu's hate speech
The Northern Elders Forum (NEF) has accused Ohanaeze Ndigbo of shielding Nnamdi Kanu and supporting him by criticising the federal government's plan to re-arrest him.
The chairman of the group, Mr Paul Unongo, said the south-east elders have trivalised a criminal matter by saying Kanu should not be arrested if Arewa youths who issued quit notice to Igbos in their midst are still walking free, Punch reports.
Unongo said: “Leaders should be careful about what they support. This is the kind of thing that happened when our young men from the North, feeling cheated and angry with the old men from Kanu’s place for not cautioning Kanu, did what they did (ultimatum).
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“But I came out immediately and said Nigerians have inalienable right to reside anywhere. I did that even to the detriment of my friendship with some people. But what Ohanaeze members are doing is that they are giving the impression that if someone commits a crime and is from their tribe, he shouldn’t be tried. I don’t understand. Are they saying he (Kanu) should not be tried until someone from another part of the country is arrested? That will invite chaos to the country.”
He said Kanu has flouted his bail condition and therefore should be arrested without any complaint from elders from his region.
He said: “I will advise Ohanaeze and the Federal Government to let the matter be settled at the court because the issue of detention is in the hands of the court. The court had heard his case and the defence counsel asked for bail while the prosecution opposed it.
“It was granted and if the conditions were flouted, I think the prosecution is right to approach the same court to prove that the bail condition has been violated and to ask for the court to revoke the bail.”
Also speaking against the Ohanaeze's action is the chairman of the Northern Elders Council (NEC), Alhaji Tanko Yakasai.
Yakasai said: “For anybody who is under trial and granted bail on certain conditions, the court has the right to ensure that he fulfils those conditions. Every Nigerian has the right to challenge him based on the conditions of bail. This is not a matter for debate.
“Every Nigerian should respect court orders. You cannot say because someone is your relation or is from your tribe, the court should not deal with the person. You cannot say that. It is either you abide by Nigeria’s laws or not.
“There is no reason why people should ignore the fact that we have a judiciary which should be respected. Those who have been demanding bail to be granted Dasuki and El-Zakzakky and criticising the government for not obeying court orders are now criticising the same government for following the due process. I think it is too trivial for the leadership of Ohanaeze to speak like this.”
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Meanwhile, Legit.ng earlier reported that Nnamdi Kanu, who is aware that the federal government has commenced process to have him rearrested, said that anyone who tries to arrest him will not leave Biafra land alive.
Kanu while speaking at Boys Technical College (BTC) in Aba, Abia state, said that the agitation for Biafra is a “message from heaven.”
Watch a Legit.ng TV video below of Nigerians speaking about Kanu's Biafra secret service:
Source: Legit.ng
