The government of the United Kingdom
has asked the Federal Government of Nigeria to state the whereabouts of
British-Nigerian man and leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, Nnamdi
Kanu, saying “We are seeking urgent clarification from the Nigerian authorities
about the status and whereabouts of Mr. Kanu, a British-Nigerian man, who has
been reported missing since September 14,” on Thursday. Nnamdi Kanu missing ?
This came as the Defence Headquarters, Friday, declared that it does not know
the whereabouts of IPOB leaders Nnamdi Kanu and asked citizens not to panic
over hitherto October 1st deadline given the Igbo by a group of Northern youths
to vacate the region, saying the threat was no longer effective.
The DHQ which
said contrary to some reports, it did not raid the IPOB leader’s home, said it
was not the place of the military to declare Kanu wanted.
The DHQ equally
explained that it was constrained to move a special military operations against
the dreaded herdsmen because they were neither visible nor carry out their
activities under an open or known group.
Director of Defence Information, Major
General John Enenche, who addressed the media at the Defence Headquarters,
denied that Nnamdi Kanu was in military custody. The United Kingdom Press
Officer, to the high commission in Nigeria, Joe Abuku, stated that the inquiry
followed reports that Kanu had been missing since September 14, 2017 when armed
soldiers stormed his residence in Abia State.
Abuku said this in response to
questions from Saturday PUNCH seeking to know UK’s concern on the missing IPOB
leader. “We are seeking urgent clarification from the Nigerian authorities
about the status and whereabouts of Mr. Kanu, a British-Nigerian man, who has
been reported missing since September 14,” Abuku stated in an email on
Thursday.
On stripping of Nnamdi Kanu’s citizenship Abuku said: “One of the
conditions that can make the United Kingdom strip its citizen of nationality is
if the person engages in a terrorist activity at home or abroad. And Kanu has
dual citizenship and therefore a citizen of Nigeria and the UK,”. He also said:
“The Indigenous People of Biafra is not a proscribed organisation in the UK,”
the mission spokesperson stressed.. Abuku also said, “We do not routinely
comment on whether an organisation is or is not under consideration for
proscription.
A decision to proscribe an organisation must be based on a belief
that it is concerned in terrorism as defined in the Terrorism Act 2000, and it
must be proportionate.” But the Director of Defence Information, Major General
John Enenche, who addressed the media at the Defence Headquarters,on Friday
denied that Nnamdi Kanu was in military custody. ” Nnamdi Kanu is not in the
custody of the military,”he declared.
“The military did not proscribe IPOB. Due
process was followed to proscribe it. The job of the military was to diagnose
security issues and warned the public of consequences and that is part of our
media operations. “We did our media operations very well, otherwise that
weekend would have been the longest weekend in this country and we are also
very careful choosing our words and we know the law very well, “he added.
He
also denied that the military troops on Operation Python Dance raided Kanu’s
home. Hear him:” Nobody raided Kanu’s home and I stand to be justified, not
from the information I got. ‘I was watching it live, I was monitoring it live
and also speaking with them on the ground. “The people that came out there that
I saw were the Biafra security service and Biafra National Guard. ” I think I
later confirmed that there was nothing to actually justify them legally to
mount roadblocks.
I saw the militancy, nobody told me and I saw the action
there. We are still investigating.” He spoke on the post military operations in
the South East thus:”For the past couple of days since the operation started,
the feedback I have been getting from that place is that yes, they are happy.
“Some of them were actually afraid even before the operation started not from
our troops but from the people that we actually getting them fighting, people
that are actually intimidating them. But now, they have a lot of relief. “We
have our sources of information as information outfits of the armed forces.
We
also get information from the general public using our own sources as a form of
checks and balances.” Enenche said the country was not militarized contrary to
the position of some people. “Other countries passed through this, if you go
into history, before getting to where they are as developed countries today.
“Like in China, you see one policeman inside a car, you hardly see a military
man outside and it depends on the developmental process and what you passed
through. “That’s why in simple terms, I will tell you that we are not alarmed
at all.
“For example, the last terrorist attack in the UK, 24 hours after the
attack, the government asked the military to take over the area. ” If the UK
government can tell the military to take over, to back up the Police, I think
we are just about 100 years old of amalgamation and we about 57 years old, it’s
not out of place, “he stressed.
He expressed disappointment over the position
of some legal practitioners on military involvement in the IPOB issue just as he
said some of them got it right in his assessment of various contributions to
the issue. “Of course, there will be competing demands on who is to do what by
the military, the executive, the legislature they are all arms of the
government and they all have responsibilities,”he said.
”The statement that
came through me is not at par at all with what the Chief of Army Staff came out
to clarify. People had mindset and they were In a hurry to attack the military
because of their mindset and because of that it is a pity to say that somehow
some people lost their reputation,”he clarified.
sources vanguard
sources vanguard
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