South East members of the House of Representatives led by Hon. Ikenga Ugochinyere have described the rejection of the bail application of the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, by a Federal High Court as another major setback for the healing process and the return of peace in the region.
Justice Binta Murtala Nyako, had rejected Kanu’s bail request and rather granted an accelerated hearing of his trial.
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Shortly after the court rose from sitting, Kanu said he was not behind the violence in the southeast region of the country.
He said those behind the destruction of life and property in the name of being IPOB members would not be spared.
Also, Kanu, who spoke after his trial in court, said the violence persisted because he was being held in the custody of the Department of State Services (DSS).
Kanu vowed that if released, there would be peace in the entire Southeast.
He said, “Anybody committing a crime cannot go free. I swear. Anybody committing crime in the East cannot go free. They are doing it because I am in the DSS (custody). If I were to be outside, nobody could try this. I suspect that some people in government are complicit. They are making money with insecurity.
“They know if Nnamdi Kanu is outside, in two minutes, this nonsense will stop. Who is the bagger or idiot that will speak when I am talking? That I will give an order in the East. Who is the idiot that I will give an order that will counter it? Nobody can. I am Nnmadi Kanu. Rubbish!
“Anybody involved in any form of violence in the East in the name of IPOB is a goner and they know it. Let me come out of this mess, only two minutes, there will be peace in the East. “
But the South East lawmakers who were also in court, led by Hon Ikenga Imo Ugochinyere, Hon Obi Aguocha and the leader of the opposition party, said they received the rejection of the bail application with sadness, adding that if it were granted, it would have been the beginning of the healing process in the region.
Ugochinyere, who represents Ideato South and North in the House, however, appealed to President Ahmed Bola Tinubu to invoke the relevant section of the constitution to discontinue Mazi Kanu’s trial.
He said, “We received the news of the rejection of the bail with sadness, and we just lost an opportunity to commence the process of healing in our land. That bail application, if granted, would have brought an opportunity to open doors for discussion to bring about peace in the South East.
“Just a few weeks back, the federal government discontinued the criminal charge filed against Omoyele Sowore by the federal government. I’m also aware that the federal government has allowed Sunday Iggoho back home.
“It’s so painful that when it’s the turn of an Igbo man, the story is always different. We are calling on President Bola Tinubu not to allow the moment to pass him by. What the president should do and the attorney-general in particular, is to invoke the power invested in him under section 174 of the 1999 Constitution to discontinue the matter. The case can be discontinued in the interest of the public and justice.
“It is also painful for us that this bail application was rejected, and we hope that President Tinubu will do the needful by discontinuing the matter.”