By Muhammadu Sabiu
The Court of Appeal in Abuja has on Monday postponed a decision on the Federal Government’s request for a stay of execution of the court’s ruling ordering the release of Indigenous People of Biafra leader Nnamdi Kanu.
When both parties are ready, Justice Haruna Tsanami said they would be informed of the judgement delivery date.
Recall that the Federal Government argued before the Court of Appeal that Kanu is a threat to national security and must be detained in order to keep the peace.
The Daily Reality understands that Kanu had previously shown that he was a flight risk when he left the country after being granted bail on the terrorism charges against him at the Federal High Court in Abuja, according to the Federal Government’s attorney, David Kaswe, who was arguing the motion for a stay of execution of the October 13 judgement rendered in Kanu’s favour.
He said, “My Lords, our concern, the concern of the Federal Government, is the threat the release of Kanu poses to the security of this country and its political, social, and economic activities. We will not be able to lay hands upon him if he is allowed out of detention and finds his way out of the country.”
He, therefore, prayed to the court to make Kanu remain in custody pending when the Supreme Court would eventually determine the pending appeal.
However, Chief Mike Ozekhome (SAN), Kanu’s primary attorney, asserted that the military had wrongfully invaded his client’s ancestral home and that only God’s grace had kept Kanu from dying.
Having disobeyed the October 13 judgement, he informed the court that the government was in contempt of court.
Despite what the Federal Government claims, Ozekhome claimed that only his client’s release could guarantee peace and tranquility throughout the entire nation, not just in the South East.
“My Lord, the action of the Federal Government in respect of Nnamdi Kanu is an insult, a slap in the face to this court. It is also an invitation to anarchy, and I humbly urge this court to dismiss the application for lack of merit,” he said.
