Arewa Youth Consultative Forum, AYCF, has advised individuals and groups canvassing political option, negotiation or out of court settlement as the way to get the detained leader of the separatist group – the proscribed Indigenous people of Biafra(IPOB), Mazi Nnamdi Kano, out of detention to allow the court run its full course on the matter and decide his fate.
The National President of AYCF, Yerima Shettima, said the IPOB leader should be made to face the “music” of his action if found guilty by the court or released if proven innocent.
This coming on the heels of the announcement by the South-East governors on Tuesday that they would interface with the federal government for the release of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu.
Also the presidential candidate of Labour Party in the 2023 presidential election in Nigeria, Mr. Peter Obi, called for the release of Kanu from detention and even Kanu through his counsel, Alloy Ejimakor, has expressed willingness to explore other alternative means of dispute resolution to end his continued incarceration by the Department of State Service (DSS).
Reacting to the out of court settlement being canvassed on Kanu’s case, Shettima said he would be comfortable if the court decided the IPOB leader’s fate.
According to the DAILY POST, the YCF said, “It’s within the government’s confines to look at it, if they want to settle out-of-court or they want the court to continue, but added that allowing Kanu to go through the Crucible of justice remains a better option.
Shettima also urged the Nigerian government to amend the country’s constitution to allow for self-determination.
The AYCF National President said people should be allowed to decide if they wanted to become Biafra or remain as Nigerians.
In his reckoning, Kanu and the self-acclaimed Biafra Prime Minister, Simon Ekpa have no more control over Biafra agitation, stressing that criminals have hijacked the struggle.
“For me, I would have been comfortable if the court decided his fate at the end of the day based on what is before the court, they should do the needful.
“Kanu should face the music if he’s found wanting or be allowed to go if proven innocent. His punishment should serve as a deterrent to those who think that they can disobey the law and take impunity as a right either deliberately or ignorantly.
“However, if the government decides to settle out-of-court then so be it but at least, we all know now that nobody can do anything and get away with it.
“The proposed settlement is within the law and it’s for the government to deem it fit, necessary if that is what they want.
“Some of us are products of struggles and I can tell you that you can agitate for whatever you want from religion to tribe but when it becomes critical that somebody has to lose his life, that is no longer an agitation; it’s something else. And this has been our worry and fear.
“The right to self-determination is guaranteed under international law and Nigeria is a signatory to that agreement, unfortunately, we signed a charter but locally our constitution does not reflect it, self-determination is alien to our constitution.
“At the same time, a referendum is not in our constitution. These are areas I feel if the government is sincere we should be able to amend the laws to reflect these two key issues.
“If you sign an agreement that you believe in self-determination by the international standard, locally it should reflect it and that is why today we have an issue where there is no way of exit in the country.
“Somebody can’t wake up and say we should divide corporately, it’s not reflected in our constitution. They should amend the constitution so that you can’t force people to stay with you, there should be an exit through referendum,” he stated.
“They say it’s easier to destroy than to build; when they started this agitation, they never envisaged that they would be consumed.
“Even if you release Kanu and bring Ekpa to beg for pardon, they can’t control this madness anymore because criminals have cashed into it in the name of agitation.
“How does agitation become kidnapping, looting, robbery, killing innocent people? It’s not done anywhere.
“This is a criminal act and they should be dealt with as criminals. Whether you release Kanu or not, he has no control because if he did, with all he has been saying, killing would have subsided.
“Can you say in all honesty that these criminals in the Southeast are listening to what he’s saying? They are not.
“They engage in all sorts of criminality in the name of Biafra struggle, sit-at-home and all sorts.
“I don’t think Kanu will be safe if released today, going by what we are seeing. It has become a criminal activity and all of us must come out to condemn this act,” Shettima cautioned
