Politics

Court frees leader of separatist group, IPOB, Nnamdi Kanu, after years of legal battle

Published

2 years ago

October 13, 2022

In Nigeria, the Court of Appeal sitting in the country’s capital, Abuja, has discharged and acquitted the embattled leader of the separatist group, Indigenous People of Biafra, (IPOB).

The three-man panel upheld the appeal of the detained leader of the proscribed IPOB and held that the Federal High Court lacks the jurisdiction to try Mr. Kanu on the grounds of his rendition to Nigeria which violates the protocol on extradition and the OAU convention.

The ruling says the Federal Government breached all local and international laws in the forceful rendition of Kanu to Nigeria thereby making the terrorism charges against him incompetent and unlawful.

Kanu was first arraigned on December 23, 2015, and was later granted bail on April 25, 2017. He was later arrested in Kenya and extradited for trial by the Federal government of Nigeria in June 2021.

The Nigerian Government failed to disclose the exact location Mr. Kanu was arrested; neither did the 15-count charge against him disclose the place, date, time, and nature of the alleged offenses before extraditing him.

He appealed in April in a suit marked CA/ABJ/CR/625/2022 and applied to be discharged and acquitted.

Recall that a federal court in Abuja, the Nigerian capital, had dismissed eight of the 15 terror charges against Kanu.

Nigeria has had a number of separatist agendas spring up since her political independence in 1960. The country as a result witnessed a civil war born out of secessionist agenda in 1967.

Yet the cry for self-determination amongst various ethnic-based groups has not ceased, in fact, it has been more amplified in the heterogeneous West African country since the current President Muhamadu Buhari came into power in 2015.

Related Topics:#IPOB #Nnamdi Kanu Featured

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Politics

Burkina Faso releases 4 French spies after Moroccan intervention

Published

3 days ago

December 20, 2024

Ifeoluwa Dada

In a diplomatic spat over their imprisonment, France and Morocco announced Thursday that four French nationals detained in Burkina Faso for a year had been freed after mediation from Morocco.

They were spies, according to a prior statement made by the director of France’s foreign intelligence organisation, the DGSE.

A request for comment was not answered by the DGSE or a representative of the French military, which is in charge of the agency.

Since December 2023, they have been held in Ouagadougou.

President Emmanuel Macron hailed King Mohammed of Morocco on Wednesday for his intervention, “which made possible the liberation of our four countrymen who had been held in Burkina Faso for a year,” according to a statement from the French administration.

King Mohammed and President Ibrahim Traore of Burkina Faso were also commended by Morocco’s foreign ministry, which stated that “this humanitarian act” was made possible by their positive bilateral ties.

In October, France made peace with Morocco, one of its former protectorates, after three years of hostilities between Paris and Rabat stoked by immigration concerns and the disputed Western Sahara region.

Morocco offers Burkina Faso and other military-ruled Sahel republics Atlantic trade.

However, France’s relations with former West and Central African colonies, such as Burkina Faso, remain difficult. In Ouagadougou, French troops and diplomats were ejected, the defence attache and ambassador were asked to depart, and certain French media were suspended.

The military junta that took control in 2022 in Burkina Faso has been criticized by international rights groups for cracking down on free expression and harassing dissidents to handle a security crisis precipitated by Al Qaeda and Islamic State extremists.

Politics

Ghana: President-elect Mahama appoints anti-corruption team

Published

4 days ago

December 19, 2024

Ifeoluwa Dada

According to a statement released by his transition team on Wednesday, Ghana’s President-elect, John Dramani Mahama, has designated an anti-corruption committee to investigate allegations of wrongdoing.

When he takes office next month, Mahama, the leading opposition candidate in the presidential election held on December 7 and who received almost 56% of the vote, has pledged to reclaim the proceeds of corruption and hold those responsible for it accountable.

In anticipation, an anti-graft squad has been established. The parliament’s Committee on Assurances, which has previously raised suspicions of governmental corruption, is chaired by MP Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwah.

An investigative journalist, a private attorney, a former auditor general, and a former police officer with experience in high-profile robbery cases make up the other three members.

After looking into alleged financial irregularities that took place during the previous administration, Daniel Dumelovo, the former auditor general, was fired.

Recovering lost assets and fighting corruption were two of Mahama’s main campaign pledges.

“He intends to hit the ground running on these commitments,” the statement said.

Eight years after leaving office, former President Mahama is back to head the West African country. Despite not being personally contaminated, he faced criticism during his 2012–2016 administration due to claims of political corruption.