Kanu’s threat to break up Nigeria not a joke – FG
The federal government has told the Federal High Court in Abuja that the threat by the Biafra nation agitator, Nnamdi Kanu to break up the country and establish a Republic of Biafra was not an empty threat. The prosecuting counsel, Adegboyega Awomolo, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), while responding to a no-case-submission made by […]
FILE PHOTO: Nnamdi Kanu in court
The federal government has told the Federal High Court in Abuja that the threat by the Biafra nation agitator, Nnamdi Kanu to break up the country and establish a Republic of Biafra was not an empty threat.
The prosecuting counsel, Adegboyega Awomolo, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), while responding to a no-case-submission made by Kanu challenging the charges against him, informed the court on Friday that his broadcasts incited fear among Nigerians.
Awomolo argued that boasting to break up Nigeria was a fundamental security issue to the country, and as such, should not be considered as empty threat as claimed by Kanu.
The government’s lawyer, who asked the court to dismiss the application, said that in the broadcast, Kanu directed his followers to go after policemen and kill them along with their families, adding that over 170 security agents were killed shortly after the broadcast.
“The defendant made a broadcast. He proudly declared himself as IPOB leader, even when he knew that the group had been proscribed. He made a broadcast that the world would come to standstill.
“The law of Nigeria prohibits words capable of making Nigerians live in perpetual fear, threatening to bring Nigeria down. The aim is to create Biafra and not a mere boasting, and there are consequences for such boasting,” he said.
However, the lead defence counsel, Kanu Agabi (SAN), in the no-case-application, faulted the prosecution of his client in the seven-count charges and asked the court to discharge and acquit him.
Among others, Agabi said that throughout the proceedings, no single witness was called to tell the court how he was incited by Kanu to take to violence.
He also informed the court that the five witnesses called during trial, who are operatives of the Department of the State Service (DSS), admitted that their roles were limited to obtaining statements from Kanu.
Agabi argued that no investigation whatsoever was carried out on Kanu’s statements and no report of any investigation on terrorism allegations was made available to the court.
The senior lawyer drew the attention of the court to the fact that the charges against Kanu were amended eight times, yet no one came to testify that some broadcasts instigated them to violence.
Insisting that Kanu was only asking people to defend themselves from wanton killings, Agabi argued that the threat to bring the world down by Kanu was a mere boasting and should not be used against him to justify terrorism offences.
He said that asking Nigerians to defend themselves was a constitutional right, which was re-echoed by other Nigerians, including General T. Y Danjuma (retd).
Agabi also faulted solitary confinement of Kanu in the last 10 years in violation of international law that solidarity confinement must not last for more than 15 days.
Insisting that ingredients of terrorism charges were not established throughout the trial, Agabi pleaded with the judge to hold that no prima facie case made against Kanu to warrant ordering him to enter defence in the charges.
Justice James Omotosho has fixed October 10 for ruling.