Posted by Samuel on Wed 12th Jan, 2022 - tori.ng
This is just as the group also alleged that the presiding judge in Kanu’s case, Justice Binta Nyako, was turning a blind eye to the impunity of the DSS against its leader.
According to a report by The PUNCH, the Indigenous People of Biafra has accused the Department of State Services of subjecting Nnamdi Kanu to 23-hour solitary confinement daily at its headquarters in Abuja.
This is just as the group also alleged that the presiding judge in Kanu’s case, Justice Binta Nyako, was turning a blind eye to the impunity of the DSS against its leader.
The group reminded both the judge and the DSS that solitary confinement of an innocent person is a crime as stipulated under Section 2 of the Anti-torture Act of 2017, which offence attracts 25 years imprisonment upon conviction.
In a statement on Wednesday, its Media and Publicity Secretary, Emma Powerful, said Justice Nyako had refused to ensure that DSS oblige and respect the fundamental rights of Kanu as provided in the rule of law.
Powerful also explained that a judge should be fair to all especially the accused who has not been convicted, adding that Kanu should not be treated with brutality simply because he is an Igbo.
The statement read in parts, “Once again, we wish to raise the alarm over the continuous detention of our leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, in solitary confinement at the State Security Services, headquarters Abuja.
“We have seen that the presiding judge handling this case, Hon. Justice Binta Nyako is an accomplice to the suffering of an innocent man, who committed no crime known to law in Nigeria and the world. The judge has refused to ensure that the DSS oblige and respect the fundamental rights of Nnamdi Kanu as provided in the law.
“We are watching her and the DSS. If anything untoward happens to our leader in the DSS custody, they will regret his rendition from Kenya to Nigeria. Nnamdi Kanu is being held in solitary confinement for 23 hours every day where he is daily being subjected to mental and emotional torture because of his belief in Biafra freedom and independence.
“The fact that all orders made by the court presided over by Justice Binta Nyako about the welfare and management of Kanu at the DSS dungeon were all flouted by the detaining authority, without being reprimanded or committed for contempt by the presiding judge.
“We are calling on men and women of good conscience, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, intersociety and reputable Human Rights Organisations across the globe to prevail on Nigeria government and the compromised security agencies particularly the DSS, as well as justice Binta Nyako to release Nnamdi Kanu whose health condition needs urgent attention.
“He should not be allowed to die in detention as such scenario will not be in the interest of anybody.”