‎Time to Engender Peace is Now

Executive Briefing

Last week’s release on bail of the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra Nnamdi Kanu ‎could not have come at a better time. With the president’s health causing disquiet, there is urgent need to further defuse tension in the polity‎. But government has to do more to achieve lasting peace, writes Tobi Soniyi‎

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Every Nigerian has one reason or the other to protest against the government. The fact that we are not protesting does not mean that we are satisfied with the state of affairs. As simple as this sounds, however, the government does not seem to understand.

Rather than kick against protest or ‎lock up those who choose to carry placards to express their grievances, the government should seek to, first understand why they take to the streets, and secondly should engage them.

The relative peace in the ‎Niger Delta today came when the Federal Government jettisoned military approach to dialogue. If dialogue could restore peace to the Niger Delta with all the complication, the agitation for a Biafra Republic can also be resolved by dialogue.

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In this while, the judiciary deserved commendation for refusing to toe the same path withe the executive when it granted bail to IPOB leader, Nnamdi Kanu. Sometimes, ‎charges are drafted to exaggerate the real offence for which the accused person should stand trial. More often that not, those acused of treason have only committed some minor offences but because governent would not want such accused persons released on bail, it make treasonable felony the main offence. The proper approach for the court would be to consider the charges alongside the proof of evidence to ensure that those entitled to bail are not denied bail.

In this regard, the decision of Justice Binta Nyako to grant bail to Kanu, despite attaching stringent conditions deserves commendation. However, the same gesture should be extended to those charged with him, otherwise the desire effect of granting him bail will not be achieved.

Before admitting Kanu to bail, the judge had earlier determined that six out of the 11- count charge were not supported by the proof of evidence.‎ This finding, further supports the claim that some of the charges were aimed at keeping Kanu in jail perpetually.

Sometimes in February, some prominent people from the South East asked government to release Kanu. They included a former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Charles Soludo who described the continued detention of Kanu as unacceptable and an abuse of his right to ‘legitimate agitation”.

Soludo said Nigeria could not thrive in an atmosphere devoid of the “democratic freedom of speech”.

Weeks later, governors of the five south-east states also lent their voice to the call for Kanu’s release.

Prior, to the governors’ inteervention, the leadership of the apex Igbo socio-cultural organisation, Ohaneze Ndigbo led by Chief John Nnia Nwodo had called on government to find a lasting solution to the dispute.

Nwodo had asked government to find ways of addressing the root causes of the increasing spate of agitations not only in the south east zone but across the country.

Before then, traditional rulers from the south east had met President Muhammadu Buhari at the Aso Rock Villa in Abuja. One of the requests they tabled before him was that he should listen to the demands of agitators from the south east. In his response, Buhari assured them that the south east would also benefit from the new railway architecture being put in place by his administration.

On their request for more representation for the south east in his government, the president said that he was “very conscious of the sensitivities of the South East”, on account of which, he gave the region’s four out of five states Senior ranking Ministers in the Federal Cabinet.

The intervention of these prominent rulers and organisation provided a perfect opportunity for the government to step in by seeking to extract commitment from the south east leaders and the governors. Notwithstanding the offences contained in the charges, no one is left in doubt that Kanu’s trial is political and that the best solution to it should be political.

When the governors asked the federal government to release him, a government with strategy should have sought audience with the governors and demonstrate its willingness to release Kanu if the governors could persuade him not to further cause a breach of the peace or if they can come up with any other feasible solution to the crisis. But the thinking in government, unfortunately, is that force would resolve all disputes.

At a time when the nation’s security apparatuses are overstretched, there is sense in embracing peace when such an opportunity presents itself. The north east crisis is far from over. The herdsmen onslaught is almost consuming the whole nation.

Although, the Biafra agitators are asking for secession, there are a lot the government can do to address injustice in the south east. No one can deny the fact that the south east is marginalised in terms of distribution of appointment. No one can claim not to know that it is the only geographical identity that has yet to produce the president. It appears the present administration is punishing the south east for voting for former president Goodluck Jonathan. These are real issues that can be addressed by the government to restore the confidence of the south east people in the federal government.

However for government to continue to feign ignorance of this neglect is to continue to push forward the evil days.

Kanu was reportedly arrested in Lagos on October 18, 2015 by operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) upon return from the United Kingdom.

He was initially charged with eleven counts alongside Chidiebere Onwudiwe, Benjamin Madubugwu and David Nwawuisi. Out of these charges, six were struck out. However, counts 1, 2, 4, 5, and 8 of the charge were sustained because according to the judge, the prosecution was able to place some elements of offences before the court.

In striking out the charges, Justice Nyako stated that the prosecution had not placed evidence before the court to show that Kanu and Onwudiwe are managing an unlawful society or that IPOB was unlawful.

She also ruled that some of the charges against the defendants that bordered on intentions to commit crimes would be better handled at a magistrate court and not a federal high court.

Kanu and his co-accused, Benjamin Madubugwu and David Nwawuisi, remained in DSS custody until January 20, 2016, when they were arraigned at the Federal High Court on a six-count charge of treasonable felony and illegal transmission of a radio transmitter preferred against them by the federal government.

Count one of the charge reads: That you Nnamdi Kanu ,’m ‘Onwudiwe Chidiebere ‘m’ Banjamin Madubugwu, David Nwawuisi ,’m’ and others now at large on diverse dates in 2014 and 2015 in Nigeria and London, United Kingdom, did conspire amongst yourselves to broadcast on Radio Biafra monitored in Enugu and other areas within the jurisdiction of this court preparations being made by you and others at large, for states in the South-east and South-south zones and other communities in Kogi and Benue States to secede from the Federal Republic of Nigeria with a view to constituting same into a Republic of Biafra and you thereby committed an offence punishable under section 516 of the Criminal Code Act CAP. C38 laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2000.

Count two reads: That you Nnamdi Kanu,’m’ being the leader of IPOB on diverse dates in 2014 and 2015 in London United Kingdom did broadcast on Radio Biafra monitored in Enugu and other areas within the jurisdiction of this court preparations being made by you and others now at large, for states in the South-east and South-south Zones and other communities in Kogi and Benue States to secede from the Federal Republic of Nigeria with a view to constituting same into a Republic of Biafra and you thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 41 (c) of the Criminal Code Act .CAP C38 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004.

They were initially detained at DSS’ facility but were subsequently remanded in Kuje prison on the order of Justice James Tsoho.

They were taken before several judges but Kanu objected to the trial. Justice Ahmed Mohammed had to recuse himself from the trial. The case finally landed on Justice Nyako’s table.

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No one can claim not to know that it is the only geographical identity that has yet to produce the president. It appears the present administration is punishing the south east for voting for former president Goodluck Jonathan. These are real issues that can be addressed by the government to restore the confidence of the south east people in the federal government.