Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike has urged President Muhamadu Buhari administration to make a conscientious effort to arrest bandits and Miyetti Allah militias terrorising the country, with the same vigour it went after separatist leader Nnamdi Kanu.
Mr Wike noted that despite the differences Rivers government had with Mr Kanu, the rule of law and due process must be followed in his arrest and prosecution.
The governor further urged the federal government to ensure all terrorists on its watchlist regardless of their ethnicity or religion are arrested and made to face the wrath of the law.
“We must not make hullabaloo about the prosecution of Nnamdi Kanu. I don’t agree with his principle. I have come out and said you cannot annex my state to be your own. But that does not mean that you will not allow the law to take its course,” Mr Wike said while speaking during a live television interview.
The Rivers State governor added, “You cannot say because Nnamdi Kanu is from a particular area, let us prosecute him. The same thing must apply to all other people, the bandits, Miyetti Allah.”
Mr Wike had recently justified the federal government for killing members of the Independent People of Biafra (IPOB), led by Mr Kanu, warning members to repent else they will die like vultures without heads.
On Monday, the federal government announced the arrest of Mr Kanu, Peoples Gazette reported. Attorney General Abubakar Malami accused Mr Kanu of subversive activities against the Nigerian state after jumping bail in 2017.
The federal government in a letter to the Western Diplomats dated April 26, 2021, accused Kanu of orchestrating the killing of 60 persons and the destruction of property in 55 violent attacks across the South-East and South-South Zones in four months.
The Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, the apex Igbo socio-cultural organisation which represents the interests of southeasterners, is yet to issue a public statement on the re-arrest and re-arraignment of Nnamdi Kanu.
But, Kaduna State governor, Nasir El Rufai, has expressed delight over the arrest and repatriation of the separatist leader.
“I was very happy for two reasons. First the man was on trial and he jumped bail, that in itself is a crime and no legal system should accept that,” Mr El Rufai, a Fulani leader said.
The Need For Caution – Emeka Kalu
A chieftain of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Dr. Emeka Kalu has urged President Muhammadu Buhari to apply wisdom and dialogue with the IPOB leader.
He said, “Following wide range news circulating in the social media regarding the arrest of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, the Leader of the Indigenous People Of Biafra by the Federal Government Security operatives and his extradition to Nigeria for continuation of prosecution on treason allegation charges against him,Federal government is advised to be cautious and reasonable in handling him.As a person with dual citizenship under the watch of British Government arrested in Kenya and handed over to Nigeria Security forces, he ( KANU) deserves fair hearing, fair treatment and all professional cares must be taken to ensure he does not die in custody. The jubilation making round the width and length of this country on the arrest of the IPOB Leader should not been seen as a success celebration of having finally apprehended “the clog in the wheel of Nigeria” but should be seen as a mark of government commitment to entrench peace and tranquility in the country.
“The volatile and fragile conditions of the Nigeria State today is not something that the Government should handle with aggressive or brutal show of force.This is a democratic dispensation where Rule of Law prevails and reigns supreme. The provisions of Intl law on Conflict Resolutions,UNO Charters on Fundamental Human Rights Protection& Self Determination must be properly followed in handling a high profile case of this nature to avoid regrettable mistakes. The Nigeria we see today belongs to all of us and nobody or ethnic group has monopoly of ownership of our dear Country, Nigeria.
“It stands to reason that killings,terrorism, banditry,kidnapping and other handful of crimes are condemned as ” Evil” in any contemporary society , so we must live to stand by the side of truth which is a force that cannot be suppressed no matter how we hate it. Federal government is hereby cautioned and advised to apply the same technical security professionalism to tackle herdsmen killings,banditry and Book haram insurgency that have been ravaging all nooks and crannies of Nigeria. It is crystal clear that since herdsmen have been attacking farms and farmers across the Nation with resultant disaster, none of the culprits has ever been arrested,interrogated let alone prosecution instead the Federal government is bent on re invoking the purported gazette for grazing routes which the 1999 Constitution has no provisions for .It is a pity that Nigerians are being killed on daily basis by these attackers without repulsive resistance from the Nigeria Security forces. In the words of Uttoman Dan Fodio,” Conscience is an open wound,only truth can heal it” .Today where is the conscience in the Federal Government to condemn all these ills and at the same time proffer meaningful solutions to tackle them?
“We are living in a fragile society where truth is manipulated into falsehood.Nigerians are tired of bad news and insecurity.We are tired of hunger and high handedness, we are fed up with man s inhumanity to man.We are tired of failure of polices and its attendant bureaucratic bottlenecks.
“In the case of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu,it is a sensitive issue that requires proper administrative professionlism and Federal government under the watch of President Buhari is advised to be judicious in the management of the case because of its sensitivity. Terrorism is a condemnable act in the heart of every right thinking man so Government is encouraged to fight and prevent it at all costs. Government must do everything in her power to ensure that carrot hands are not given to others while another is treated with brutality.
“Dialogue is important in this context as the government opens a door for it. The federal government should endeavour to create an enabling ground for peaceful dialogue not only with IPOB but with other ethnic nationalities agitating for self rule and restructuring of our nation s fiscal federalism. This window for peace does not mean weakness on the part of government but it is one of the bureaucratic keys by which the gate of justice and equity are opened in a democratic and justice – oriented government.” He said.
Although Kenyan High Commissioner in Nigeria, Wilfred Machage, had denied his country’s involvement in the arrest of Mr Kanu, Ifeanyi Ejiofor, Mr Kanu’s attorney, insisted Kenyan police seized the IPOB leader while travelling through their international airport on June 18, detained and tortured him before handing him over to the Nigerian government.
