Posted by The Supreme Court has been accused of perverting the course of justice against Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, by IPOB.
The Supreme Court was charged by IPOB with exploiting Kanu as an excuse for an adjournment.
The Supreme Court’s decision to postpone the hearing of Kanu’s appeal, according to IPOB spokesman Emma Powerful, has left the separatist group dissatisfied and perplexed.
Powerful declared that the Supreme Court’s ruling was the worst example of a mockery of justice and a brutal assault on the rule of law.
In a statement, Powerful said: “We, the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) global family and movement, ably led by the great and unyielding liberator Mazi Nnamdi Okwuchukwu KANU, condemn the Supreme Court of Nigeria’s ongoing adjournments of our Leader’s case in their efforts to keep our Leader in the DSS solitary confinement in Abuja.
“The flimsy and afterthought justification is that the Supreme Court’s annual vacation has coincided with the hearing date of September 14, 2023, which was originally set for that date. This is the worst kind of violently destroying the rule of law and travesty of justice, to put it mildly.
“If we may inquire, was the matter not postponed to the 14th of September 2023 by the Justices of the Supreme Court who heard the appeal on the 11th day of May 2023 in an open court?
It is also our understanding that the 14th of September 2023 adjournment was not automatically approved; rather, it was carefully considered in light of the Federal Government’s deliberate attempt to obstruct the proceedings on that day by requesting an extension of time to file its papers despite being clearly past the deadline. As a result, the Appeal was adjourned to the 14th of September, 2023, for a definitive hearing.
“How could they have adjourned to the 14th day of September, 2023, without being guided by their diary, which contains the entire schedule of activities and holidays of the Supreme Court for the entire year? If the Apex Court’s current intention is not a clear rape of democracy and subversion of the course of justice.
The Supreme Court’s own regulations governing criminal proceedings that are subject to accelerated hearing state that this date cannot be changed on the flimsy argument that it conflicts with the Apex Court’s yearly vacation. It should be noted that the current developments serve as further evidence that the Supreme Court of Nigeria is breaking its own guidelines by repeatedly deferring the case of our Leader.
IPOB requested the world communities to persuade the Supreme Court to hear Kanu’s appeal “so that this case will be promptly determined.”
The organization questioned how the Nigerian government would explain why Kanu had not been released despite being discharged and found not guilty by the Appeal Court.
He declared, “Our Leader should be immediately released in accordance with the Order of the Penultimate Court made on the 13th day of October 2022,” if the Federal Government of Nigeria no longer has any interest in pursuing its appeal.