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From Uchenna Inya, Abakaliki
Nnamdi Kanu’s lawyer, Ifeanyi Ejimofor has called for the release of over 35 Biafra agitators in detention in Abakaliki correctional centre, Ebonyi State.
The agitators have been in detention at the correctional centre since 2021.
Ejimofor said the detainees were granted bail for four times by a court of competent jurisdiction, but were still held in the centre and urged Governor Francis Nwifuru to intervention into the matter.
He stated this in Abakaliki, the state capital while speaking with reporters after court proceedings on the Biafra agitators.
“These innocent Biafrans who are all Ebonyi indigenes were arrested at different places in 2021 by Nigeria police and charged to court, they were charged for offence of murder in the court before Justice Hishima.
“They called witnesses, we filed a no case submission indicating that their evidence laid cannot sustain the bogus charge preferred against them.
“The court considered it on the merits and accordingly sustained the no case submission and discharged them. They were still in custody when they also came with another charge. They brought us on armed robbery, arson, unlawful possession of firearms, and all what not.
“The trial commenced, they brought in the three witnesses, they also turned down several inmates in court in their case.
“At the end of the prosecution, we also filed a no case submission because the evidence adduced at the trial cannot sustain the charge, the bogus charge. And the court also found the obligation meritorious and sustained it and discharged the defendants.
“For the second time, then they ran to another court and filed another charge that brought us on armed robbery. Then we also urged them to calm down, to relax, that we should get to the end of the trial. There must be an end to litigation. The process was flawed seamlessly.
“The prosecution fulfilled their three witnesses as well, turned down several inmates. At the end of the prosecution’s case, we filed a no case submission. Then the institution found our obligation meritorious, discharged and then acquitted them.
“Then they were released. They were also re-arrested, taken into custody again. And now they filed another charge of armed robbery with the same particulars, the same information, the same witnesses, the same facts for evidence before another court.
“Then we also filed an objection to the charge on the ground that the accused person has been discharged, tried and discharged and acquitted on similar facts and charged. The court this morning ruled on our objection and sustained our objection. And quite accordingly, discharged these defendants and acquitted them.
“And the court considered it on the merits and accordingly sustained the no case submission and discharged them. They were still in custody when they also brought another charge. They brought us on armed robbery, arson, unlawful possession of fire arms, and all what not”, he said .
He called for immediate release of the detainees saying,“they’ve committed no offense, some of them have lost their parents, they’ve lost their children, they’ve lost their brothers, they’ve lost their businesses since 2021”.
