Activist lawyer and one of the leading counsels of the leader of Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Barrister Maxwell Opara has accused the Nigerian Military of being in possession of Nnamdi Kanu who was last seen or heard on 11th September last year.
Speaking in an exclusive interview with Blueprint in Abuja, Opara alleged that it might not be out of place to conclude that Nnamdi Kanu was amongst the 28 persons slain by the military in the operation which wiped out every living thing in Kanu’s compound on the 14th September 2017.
According to the activist lawyer, out of the 28 persons that were killed, the military took away 13 corpses wondering whether Nnamdi Kanu or other members of his family were among those taken away after the operation.
He explained: “When the government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria said that Nnamdi Kanu violated his bail conditions which is normal, yes they have the right to say it. They went further to apply for summons asking the court to revoke the bail of Nnamdi Kanu. While we are waiting to hear their application on the 7th of October, 2017, the military went to his house on the 11th September with an armoured car and besieged that the place and people were asking why, why? Why should that happen?
“They left only for them to come back on the 14th September 2017 and killed every living thing in that house- dog, fowl, lizard, human being- everything they killed, 28 persons were killed and they left with their copses. I am talking about the Nigerian Army. Since then, we have not heard of Nnamdi Kanu. We heard of him last when he called the principal Counsel Ejiofor complaining of the way his house was surrounded by the military. When Ejiofor started calling the line back, up till now, it could not go through. Whether he is dead or alive we do not know.”
Opara noted that among those killed in the operation were two children who were Hawking oranges in the environs and a popular madwoman who operated around the Government House in Umuahia.
The human rights lawyer wondered why nobody was asking the military authorities about Kanu’s whereabout, adding the operation was uncalled for since it was neither a war situation nor was there any need for arresting or producing Kanu which failed.
He noted that if Kanu posed any threat, he would have been arrested by the Abia state Commissioner or the Director of state security in the state.
Arguing that the Federal Government was in violation of the bail conditions granted to Kanu, Opara stated: “Yes, Yes. It is a very simple thing. Why are we being naive. Why are Nigerians behaving like this? Even the journalists are not helping matters. Nobody has gone to ask the chief of Army Staff or Director of Military Intelligence or the Army Public Relations Officer. Why, why ? Why should they bring armoured car to his compound.
On the fate of those who took the IPOB leader on bail, Barrister Opara stated: “They has a very simple case, you can’t intimidate them. Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe has filed his action asking the army to produce Kanu.
“It is a very simple case. People should not misinterpret the order of court. He was not in court that day. Court then ordered that he Senator Abaribe should come and explain the whereabout of Nnamdi Kanu and that is the procedure of court.
“And court went further to say ordinarily, either you produce Nnamdi Kanu or forfeit the bail conditions. It is a general rule. In every general rule there must be an exception, when the person is dead, when kidnappers kidnap him and there is an established case that he has been kidnapped.
“Chief Abaribe filed his motion accompanied with relevant affidavit. Remember that we his legal team would have filed but the court overruled us,” the activist said.
