Top Politicians and foreigners always troop into Kuje Prison to visit plead with Nnamdi Kanu - released prisoner reveals

Top Politicians and foreigners always troop into Kuje Prison to visit plead with Nnamdi Kanu  - released prisoner reveals

Reports have begun to emerge of all the efforts made to get Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) into accepting to negotiate with the Nigerian government. A recently released prisoner from the Kuje Prison spoke to Ifeanyi Chijioke. He disclosed how top Nigerian politicians and foreigners are always coming to Kuje Prison to meet with Kanu.

Speaking on the happenings in Kuje; the released prisoner noted “Since Nnamdi Kanu came into the prison; we were so happy and everyday want to be with him. We have been feeling just so great and to be sincere, nobody would love him to leave any soon because his presence in that prison makes it lively. He gets visited by foreigners and locals; he gets fed and well taken care of. I have spent time in Kuje prison and I know any time politicians visit. Nnamdi Kanu is so selective of the people he answers or who visits him; top politicians visit Nnamdi Kanu and they never stopped coming. They come like he owes them or they have a business with him and at a time you start asking ‘was this man not a man accused of treason?’ Kanu doesn’t like seeing those politicians or their allies and he even declined Jonathan’s team when they came. He easily gets angry when they visit him and nobody knows the reason or what they say that makes him angry” the released prisoner said.

It was unclear if the politicians visiting are there to plead or offer him deals but it is not far from the truth that they are begging him for negotiation. If Nnamdi Kanu is being visited on daily basis and he continues to decline, it becomes a thing of insult for MEND to claim a meeting with Nnamdi Kanu that led to accepting negotiation. Continued detention of Nnamdi Kanu cannot play any role in arresting the situation and neither can he be broken or accept any plea for negotiation. If there is any move that will ever work, it has to start by unconditionally releasing him and then bringing cards or pleas for consideration.

Effort to speak to wardens and inmates through this writer’s sources proved futile as the initial report of what transpired before the football championship sponsored by Nnamdi Kanu was still afresh. “We can’t speak to anybody on anything happening in this prison because every attention is here. The Presidency has interest here and the DSS and other secret forces are stationed here. We want to be careful because nothing said or done will not be tracked this time around” a Kuje prisoner wrote on a piece that was given to Ifeanyi Chijioke’s source that had visited Kuje.

Nnamdi Kanu was arrested last year October en-route to Biafra and detained with trumped up charges bothering on terrorism and treason. His arrest triggered a wave of protest across Biafra land and when the government could not contain the peaceful and lawful protesters; it unleashed military action leading to death of hundreds of innocent Biafran people demanding for the unconditional release of their leader. Prior to this protest, two competent courts of jurisdiction had ordered the unconditional release of Nnamdi Kanu but Buhari’s led Federal Government flouted the order and when Buhari was questioned on the lawlessness of Nigerian state; he accused Nnamdi Kanu of atrocities and flight risk but refused to buttress it when he was asked was it not the duty of the court to give that verdict.

There have been sustained demands for the release and restoration of sovereign state of Biafra that was forcefully re-annexed to Nigerian State after three years of brutal war that claimed 5 million Biafran lives. The government opted to use military action against peaceful protesters which resulted to armed agitators across the Niger Delta part of Biafra on same demand for Kanu to be released and division of Nigeria. The armed agitators that took the place of peaceful protesters categorically demanded for referendum and have sustained operation zero economy on the Nigerian oil industry. The impact of the agitation could not be neglected as it has left Nigerian state battered and while military action cannot solve the problem; the government looked elsewhere.

There was a belief that continued incarceration of Nnamdi Kanu would force him into negotiation and while the Nigerian court has been bought by the executive; they tried very much to nail Nnamdi Kanu through unfair hearing and then negotiate state pardon with freedom but the legal counsel to Nnamdi Kanu has shown determination to get nothing but justice. While this is the case; Buhari could not prove the treason charge before the court and knowing that there is no crime whatsoever committed by Nnamdi Kanu; the government has been in search for political resolution of the matter as the court cannot dispense justice accordingly. There seems to be no option on the table while pressure is on Buhari to free his political prisoner.

To this end, the Federal government led by Buhari has shown interest and lobbied for negotiation but Nnamdi Kanu has rejected every effort on that note while insisting is Biafra or nothing else. The shocking refusal was the deal struck by Ohaneze where the group promised Buhari that they would handle Kanu by bringing him to the negotiation table. When Ohaneze finished all plans and spoke to Nnamdi Kanu, he made it clear “I had rather die in jail than Ohaneze to release me” irked by that response, they started antagonizing Nnamdi Kanu. Orji Uzo Kalu had boasted to release Nnamdi Kanu and claimed Buhari has a heart of milk and honey.

Recently Nnamdi Kanu sacked his lawyers for admitting that there would be negotiation in a press conference; a move Kanu saw as breach of trust. Kanu further noted that he is not ready for any negotiation but only wants Biafra to be given to him. On the same issue of negotiation, Kanu’s first lawyer was sacked for negotiating with the Federal Government through some notable figure and in his last interview granted to the men of the press; he admitted to calling some high profile figures to negotiate which might have triggered his sacking by Nnamdi Kanu. Buhari has come in numerous ways to plead Nnamdi Kanu to come for negotiation but he remained resolute and unshaken with his demand for a sovereign state of Biafra.

The latest was the claim by MEND that Nnamdi Kanu accepted negotiation in the secret but rejected it in the public. A claim that was viewed as a move to impress Buhari that it is indeed working for as it promised. There is no gain saying that the FG is obsessed with Biafra agitation and wants to by all means get Nnamdi Kanu to negotiate on anything he wants that would make him stop or renounce Biafra agitation. To show its readiness; the FG has gone on to release all the detained IPOB members and coordinators and that have not moved Nnamdi Kanu to consider negotiation. It is widely believed that there is anger at the tactics of FG; they cannot continue to incarcerate Nnamdi Kanu and yet begging him indirectly to negotiate.

- Ifeanyi Chijioke writers for Biafra Post.

Publisher: Akachukwu Udo.