The Federal Government has revealed why it has moved against the release of the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra leader Nnamdi Kanu.
According to The PUNCH, the Court of Appeal in Abuja reserved judgment on Monday in a motion by the Federal Government seeking a stay of execution of the court’s verdict ordering the release of Indigenous Peoples of Biafra leader Nnamdi Kanu.
Justice Haruna Tsanami declared that, once prepared, a date for the delivering of decision will be informed to the parties.
The Federal Government told the Court of Appeal that Kanu is a threat to national security and must be kept in jail to keep the peace while the case was being argued.
In a motion for a stay of execution of the October 13 ruling in Kanu’s favor, the Federal Government’s lawyer, David Kaswe, told the Appellate Court that Kanu had already shown he was a flight risk when he left the country after getting bail on terrorism charges at the Federal High Court in Abuja.
“My Lords, our concern, the concern of the Federal Government, is the threat the release of Kanu poses to the security of this country and its political, social and economic activities. We will not be able to lay hands upon him if he is allowed out of detention and finds his way out of the country.”
As a result, he petitioned the court to suspend the execution of the court judgment so that Kanu may remain in detention until the Supreme Court resolved the current appeal.
However, lead counsel for Kanu, Chief Mike Ozekhome (SAN), claimed that the military unjustly invaded Kanu’s ancestral home and that it took God’s grace for his client to escape death.
He notified the court that the government had committed contempt of court by failing to comply with the October 13 judgment.
In contrast to the Federal Government’s allegation, Ozekhome stated that only his client’s release will assure peace and quiet not only in the South East, but throughout the country.
“My Lord, the action of the Federal Government in respect of Nnamdi Kanu is an insult, a slap in the face to this court. It is also an invitation to anarchy, and I humbly urge this court to dismiss the application for lack of merit,” he said.
After taking arguments from parties, Justice Tsanami announced that judgment had been reserved and that lawyers would be notified when it is ready.