The apex Igbo organisation on Tuesday in a statement by its National Spokesperson, Mr. Alex Ogbonnia, warned that Kanu must not die in the Department of State Services (DSS) custody.
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South-East socio-cultural group, the Ohanaeze Ndigbo, has warned the Nigerian government to make sure that nothing untoward happens to the detained leader of the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, in prison.
The apex Igbo organisation on Tuesday in a statement by its National Spokesperson, Mr. Alex Ogbonnia, warned that Kanu must not die in the Department of State Services (DSS) custody.
Ohanaeze Ndigbo’s warning is sequel to an alarm raised by Kanu’s lead counsel, Ifeanyi Ejiofor, that the IPOB leader was diagnosed with gastrointestinal disorder following persistent heartburn.
The Igbo socio-cultural group in the statement read, “The attention of the Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide has been drawn to the deteriorating health of the Leader of the Independent Peoples of Biafra (IPOB), Mazi Nnamdi Kanu.
“Information reaching us indicates that ‘Nnamdi Kanu is currently suffering from gastrointestinal illness, which necessitates the constant use of antacids and other available medical treatments.
“It adds that ‘the DSS has refused to allow him to have even the smallest amount of the prescribed painkiller, which could have given him short-term respite.
“Report from Ifeanyi Ejiofor, the IPOB’s attorney, further adds that ‘the DSS has repeatedly treated the existing court order—which specifically directed that Nnamdi Kanu should be granted access to his doctor for an independent review/investigation of his current health status—with the utmost contempt and disdain.
“The above report should be very worrisome to any fair-minded patriotic Nigerian, the fair-minded and patriotic because it is self-evident that the Nnamdi Kanu phenomenon is a product of circumstances.“Several patriots such as Chief E K Clarke, Chief Ayo Adebanjo, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, Dr Bitrus Porgu among others have decried the unjust treatment to the Igbo of the South East.
“The Ohanaeze Ndigbo, the apex Igbo socio-cultural organization and several eminent Igbo have repeatedly appealed to the heart of Mr President to release Mazi Nnamdi Kanu on the premise of a political solution.“The only living legend among those that fought for the Nigerian independence and the minister of Aviation in the First Republic, Chief Mbazulike Amechi presented the request to President Buhari when he visited Abakiliki, Ebonyi State, as his last wish.
“Earlier before that, Mbazulike had also met President Buhari in Aso Rock, Abuja for the same reason. In the interim, common sense will ask: why deny Mazi Nnamdi Kanu the necessary access to a medical doctor? This is very curious and raises a lot of questions.
“Finally, it is common knowledge that the incarceration of Nnamdi Kanu has rather contributed to the enormity of insecurity in the South-East and one wonders what will happen if by utter carelessness, negligence or unnecessary victimisation, something untoward happens to Mazi Nnamdi Kanu.
“Instructively, many uninformed Nigerians share the base reasoning of the proverbial ostrich; the ostrich buries its head in the sand, joyously flapping its wings, and believes that it has escaped from reality. As in the ostrich, the civilised world is watching.”