Follow Us on Google
From Jude Chinedu, Enugu
Former lead counsel to Nnamdi Kanu, the detained Leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Vincent Obetta, has issued a passionate appeal to President Bola Tinubu, urging him to intervene decisively in what he described as the Federal Government’s “serial disobedience” of binding court orders relating to Kanu’s case.
In a statement released in Enugu, yesterday, Obetta warned that the continued refusal of state authorities to obey multiple court directives ordering Kanu’s release represents a “grave affront” to the rule of law and threatens the integrity of Nigeria’s constitutional democracy.
He said the situation has now reached a point where only direct presidential intervention can restore public confidence in the justice system.
He said: “The prolonged detention of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, despite more than one valid and subsisting court judgment directing his release, is nothing short of a serious attack on the rule of law, judicial authority, and our constitutional order. It is in the interest of justice, legal order, and national stability that the President now intervenes.” Obetta recalled that he personally secured the first bail granted to Kanu on October 19, 2015, in Suit No. ABJ/CMC/CR/21/2015, at the Chief Magistrates Court, Wuse Zone 2, Abuja, but the Department of State Services failed to comply.
He said the pattern of disregard continued when, in December 2015, Justice A.F.A. Ademola, of the Federal High Court, ordered Kanu’s immediate and unconditional release after dismissing an application for further detention. “These orders were never obeyed. These persistent refusals to comply with subsisting court directives constitute a direct violation of Section 287(3) of the 1999 Constitution. A government that disregards its own courts sends a troubling message that the law is optional.”
Obetta also addressed the controversy surrounding Kanu’s 2021 arrest in Kenya, insisting that the process amounted to an unlawful rendition that violated international norms and the sovereignty of Kenya.
He noted that the High Court of Kenya, in Petition No. E359 of 2021, ruled that the operation was illegal, unconstitutional, and in breach of international law, awarding Kanu damages of 10 million Kenyan shillings.
Other News
“The Court of Appeal in Nigeria, in October 2022, went further to hold that the manner of his rendition stripped the Federal High Court of jurisdiction and invalidated the remaining charges against him.
“The court ordered his release. Though the Supreme Court later restored the charges in December 2023, it did not deny or cure the underlying constitutional breaches. We now have conflicting judicial positions that only the executive can reconcile,” Obetta said.
He warned that the federal government’s recurrent disregard for court decisions is fostering regional tension, especially in the South-East, and diminishing Nigeria’s international standing.
“Each day that these orders remain disobeyed, the Nigerian state loses a measure of public trust and moral authority. The Supreme Court itself has condemned executive lawlessness in the famous case of Governor of Lagos State v. Ojukwu. It is troubling that decades later, we are still confronted with similar patterns of disobedience,” he said.
Obetta urged President Tinubu to demonstrate statesmanship by ensuring immediate compliance with all valid judgments and by allowing the Attorney-General of the Federation to consider entering a nolle prosequi to discontinue the case in the overriding national interest.
He said: “A nolle prosequi remains the most viable legal option to heal the wounds caused by years of unresolved litigation, constitutional violations, and deepening mistrust. It is my earnest plea that Mr. President uses this moment to restore obedience to the rule of law and promote lasting peace and unity in our nation.”
He appealed directly to the President, saying, “Mr. President, you have a unique opportunity to write your name in gold by ending this cycle of disobedience and demonstrating that no government agency is above the law. Nigeria cannot afford a justice system where court orders are treated as mere suggestions.”
