Chief Mike Ozekhome, SAN, the attorney for the jailed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) leader, has disputed the Federal Government's assertion that Nnamdi Kanu is "a flight risk individual."
After the Appeal Court had reserved a decision in the FG's request for a stay of execution, Ozekhome made this known to reporters on Monday while responding to their queries.
The Federal Government (FG) had argued that the respondent (Nnamdi Kanu) poses a flight risk through the representation of Mr David Kaswe, an Assistant State Counsel in the Federal Attorney General's office. It's crucial to recognise the variety of depositions in our application.
“One of the grounds of our application is that this matter touches on the national security of the state.
“We rely on the case of FRN Vs Dokubo, where the Supreme Court held that where national security is threatened or the likelihood of it being threatened, human rights take a secondary place.
“Once there is a threat to national security, the human rights of any individual can be suspended until such danger is taken care of.
“Once the nation's security is in jeopardy, the individual right may not even exist”.
However, in his riposte, Ozekhome averred that Kanu’s release would bring peace and tranquillity to the country.
Given more reasons Kanu should be released, the outspoken lawyer revealed his client's health condition, noting that Kanu is gravely ill and needs urgent medical attention.
His words: “Nnamdi Kanu is discharged. Discharged means you have no case against you. What a very responsible government should do is let the young man go home.
“Particularly as we have shown in our affidavit evident and document, that he is gravely ill. He has a heart condition, which a specialist doctor has said needs urgent surgery. They have not answered his medical condition. What they are doing when they see that his potassium level is too high is to increase the dosage or decrease it.
“So they are using Nnamdi Kanu as a guinea pig, trial by error. So we responded that releasing Nnamdi Kanu would not bring unrest in the South East.
“As a matter of fact, the release of Kanu will bring peace and tranquillity not only in the South East but the entire country.
“I gave the court an example. When the court pronounced its judgement on the 13th of February, the entire southeast went wild with jubilation. They were eating, drank, dined and dancing on the street for about five days.
“There was jubilation from Owerri to Aba, Enugu, Ebonyi, Onitsha, etc. The Igbo are happy and they are looking forward to this judgment that once, Nnamdi Kanu is released, there will be peace in the southeast, 2023 elections will come very well. I do not know who is advising this government. If I were their adviser, I would say, Mr President, let my people go.
“Don’t forget, any day they hold him further from 13th October is illegal detention. We are already going to court with a fundamental rights enforcement matter. So it is the release of Nnamdi Kanu that will bring about peace and tranquility not detaining him.”