A Coalition of British lawyers of Igbo extraction has issued President Muhammadu Buhari-led government a 48 hours ultimatum to release the leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu from their custody and return him back to the United Kingdom to follow the right process of extraction.
The British Lawyers also vowed to drag the Kenyan Government to the International Criminal Court (ICC), for detaining Kanu, a British citizen, and subsequently handing him over to the Nigerian Government.
Nnamdi Kanu was arrested and detained by Kenyan authorities and was later handed over to the Nigerian Government.
Following his arrest, Nnamdi Kanu was arraigned before Justice Binta Nyako of the Federal High Court on Tuesday and was remanded at the Department of State Service (DSS) until July 26.
Reacting to the development in a statement signed by Barrister Ebuka Okoroafor, the lawyers accused the Kenyan government of violating the human rights of the IPOB leader, who entered their country with his British passports.
The Coalition, however, warned that the failure of the Nigerian Government to free Kanu and return him to the UK will be seen as a declaration of war not just on the IPOB leader and his group but the entire Igbos.
The statement partly read, “Coalition of Igbo-British lawyers condemns the illegal detention and subsequent handing over of the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu to the Nigerian government by the Kenyan Government.”
While describing the Kenyan Government action as archaic and illegal, the statement added, “It is worthy of note to mention that Mazi Nnamdi Kanu entered Kenya with his British passport, and the Kenyan government is fully aware of his citizenship status but still went ahead to perpetuate their illegal act which does not only breach the personal human rights of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu but also undermine the sovereignty of the British government.
“While this serves as a pre-action notice to the Kenyan Government as we shall be heading to the International Criminal Court to rectify the injustice done as it is trite law that injustice to one is injustice to all, we are also by this medium informing the Nigerian Government that they have 48 hours to return Mazi Nnamdi Kanu to the United Kingdom.
“And if he has any charges to answer to, they should as a nation that is governed by the constitution, pass through the legal means of filing an extradition notice.”
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