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Nnamdi Kanu: Legal team storms DSS Headquarters today
While citing legal authorities, he said the freedom of Nnamdi Kanu, which was his fundamental and constitutionally guaranteed right, could not be stayed.
Should the government and its security agencies refuse to release Kanu, he said far-reaching extant legal remedies, including reporting Nigeria to international agencies, would be activated to ensure immediate compliance with the court order.
Ejiofor said these in an interview in Abuja.
The Court of Appeal (Abuja Division) had on Thursday freed Kanu of the terrorism and treasonable felony charges preferred against him by the Federal Government.
The three-member panel of Justices of the Appellate Court had, in the judgement, set aside the judgement of the Federal High Court, Abuja, which quashed eight out of 15 counts charge preferred against Kanu.
The Appellate Court in the unanimous judgement delivered by Justice Oludotun Adefope-Okojie declared as illegal and unlawful the abduction of Kanu from Kenya to Nigeria and quashed the entire seven charges retained by the trial court against him on the ground that 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.
But Ejiofor, who expressed optimism that Kanu would be out of prison today (Monday), advised the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), to do the needful by obeying the court order.
He said, “It has been my position that the Federal Government has a right to appeal to the Supreme Court, which is a constitutionally guaranteed right. But the only impediment to the exercise of that right is that the Federal Government must first of all comply with the Order of the Learned Justices of the Court of Appeal which discharged Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, and prohibited further indictment or commencing any fresh criminal charge against him.
“It is a settled law, as has been held by the Supreme Court in plethora of cases, including the apex court’s decision in the case of Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu Vs Lagos State Government, that an appellant will not be in contempt of an order of a lower court, and approach the Supreme Court in search of equitable remedies to stay execution. It is more so when by the effect of the Judgement of the Court Appeal under reference emphatically set aside the order of the lower court and the frivolous charge which had hitherto legitimised his detention from June 29 2022, they are now terminated and became extinct on October 13 2022.
“Furthermore, the freedom of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu which is his fundamental and constitutionally guaranteed right cannot be stayed.
“Mazi Nnamdi Kanu is yet to be released, though we will be formally approaching the State Security Service Headquarters on Monday with the enrolled order of court, and judgement of the Court of Appeal which will be available on Monday, for immediate compliance. We expect to have Mazi Nnamdi Kanu released to us today, being October 17 2022.
“It is our position that in the unlikely event that the Federal Government of Nigeria fails to obey the order of the Court of Appeal discharging Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, we will activate far-reaching extant legal remedies to ensure immediate compliance, which remedy may not be limited to resorting to domestic legal remedy, but would be extended to reporting the Federal Government of Nigeria heinous conduct before the relevant international agencies, foreign Institutions and governments. Other legal remedies available to us will not be disclosed here.
“President Muhammadu Buhari had said on various occasions that he would not interfere with the judicial process and that it is the court that would set Mazi Nnamdi Kanu free. The Court of Appeal, the penultimate court, has set Mazi Nnamdi Kanu free, it is now time for President Muhammadu Buhari to keep to his word and ensure that Mazi Nnamdi Kanu is released without any further ado.”
While setting Kanu free, the Appellate Court agreed with counsel for the IPOB leader, Dr. Mike Ozekhome, SAN, that Kanu was illegally abducted and extra-ordinary renditioned from Kenya to Nigeria, against both, International and local laws.
“By the illegal abduction and extraordinary rendition of the appellant, there was a clear violation by the respondent to International treaties, conventions, as well as the African Charter on Human and Peoples Right,” the court held.
The Appellate Court said that the Federal Government, having flagrantly breached the fundamental rights of Kanu, lost the legal right to put him on trial, adding also that laws were meant to be obeyed and that the Federal Government had no reason to have taken laws into her own hands in the illegal and unlawful way the matter of Kanu was handled.
The failure of Nigeria to follow due process by way of extradition process as prescribed by law, it said, was fatal to the charges against Kanu and further held that the failure of the Federal Government to disclose where and when the alleged offences brought against Kanu were committed was also fatal to the terrorism charges and made them liable to dismissal.
“By engaging in utter unlawful and illegal acts and in breach of its own laws in the instant matter, the Federal Government did not come to equity in clean hands and must be called to order. With appalling disregard to local and international laws, the Federal Government has lost the right to put the appellant trial for any offence.
“Treaties and Protocols are meant to be obeyed. No government in the world is permitted to abduct anybody without following due process of extradition. Nigeria is not an exception or excused. Nigeria must obey her own law and that of international, so as to avoid anarchy,” the Court held.
The panel also held that the trial court lacked jurisdiction to handle the charges against Kanu, as he was not properly arraigned before the court.
The panel, presided over by Justice Jummai Hanatu, also held that the offences Kanu was alleged to have committed happened in Kenya and not in Nigeria.
Justice Binta Nyako of the Federal High Court in Abuja had said in her judgement that counts 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 8, and 15 showed some allegations, which the IPOB leader had to answer.
But Kanu, through his team of lawyers led by Mike Ozekhome, SAN, filed an appeal marked CA/ABJ/CR/625/2022, praying the court to quash the remaining seven counts for being devoid of merit.
The First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, has come under criticism on social media after encouraging Nigerians to consider small-scale businesses such as selling akara, roasted corn and kuli-kuli, saying they require little capital to start.
Tinubu spoke while addressing State House Correspondents after the Renewed Hope Initiative’s second-quarter meeting with wives of state governors, held at the State House, Abuja, on Wednesday.
She stated this while highlighting the efforts of the Renewed Hope Initiative to support vulnerable Nigerians through grants and other interventions.
According to her, beneficiaries of the initiative were given grants, not loans, to enable them to start businesses.
“We’re trying to give hope, and to start Akara business doesn’t take a lot of money. To start roasting corn, or somebody even said kuli kuli doesn’t take much. We didn’t give them a loan; we gave it to them as a grant.
“So we’ve encouraged Nigerians as best as we could. What is within our hands, I have given, and I keep giving,” she said.
The First Lady said the initiative had also supported interventions in healthcare, agriculture, education and social investment.
She said she donated N2bn to tackle tuberculosis, N1bn for breast cancer interventions and N500m to address malnutrition.
“I remember giving for TB. When I heard there were so many TB cases, I gave N2 billion. To breast cancer, I gave a billion. For food malnutrition, I gave half a billion.
“So those are the things we’ve been doing and making sure we can make sure that whatever this government is trying to do, it will see the light of day,” she stated.
Tinubu added that the initiative had also provided scholarships, ICT training and support for agriculture and social investment programmes.
She urged Nigerians not to lose hope despite the country’s economic challenges.
“The narrative has really changed, has changed to challenge the average man, whereas the average man is supposed to have hope. So I like the idea that Mr President say this is the Renewed Hope Agenda.
“We have to renew our hope, and that’s how we renew our hope, you know, and that’s what I have to tell Nigerians,” she said.
The remarks, however, triggered swift backlash on social media, with many Nigerians accusing the First Lady of trivialising the economic hardship facing ordinary citizens.
A user on X, @ADCVanguard_, said the video showed “exactly how disconnected Nigeria’s ruling class has become from the reality of ordinary citizens.”
Another user, @ireteeh, contrasted the initiative with private-sector efforts, saying, “The First Lady is empowering people with akara, corn, and kuli-kuli, while an ordinary citizen with limited resources is equipping people to build thriving careers in cybersecurity.”
A user identified as Nefertiti (@firstladyship) said, “Nigerians are in big trouble. There is fire on the mountain but the people are tired of running.”
See also Fire guts Anambra timber market
However, some social media users, especially on X, defended the First Lady, insisting there was nothing wrong with encouraging Nigerians towards such businesses.
A user, @Akikanju1568901, said akara is “one of the most lucrative businesses in Nigeria,” with a low startup cost and high profit margin, adding that “akara sellers sent many kids… to universities, built houses, bought cars.”
Another user, @PemiOladapo, said, “There’s dignity in labour… these are our local snacks! People should start it and scale it!”
A user, @TossynBankz_, however, argued that the criticism was not about the businesses themselves but about timing.
“Nobody is mocking akara, roasted corn, or kuli-kuli. Those are honest businesses. The problem is that Nigerians are asking for a better economy, more jobs, and lower prices. Telling people to start selling akara in this situation just feels like the government doesn’t understand what people are going through,” the user wrote.
By Okey Maduforo, Awka
Scores of buildings obstructing natural waterways in Onitsha and Ogidi are facing demolition as the Anambra State Government steps up efforts to permanently tackle flooding and erosion in the affected communities.
The affected areas are located in Onitsha North, Onitsha South and Idemili North Local Government Areas, where authorities say illegal developments have worsened recurring flood disasters.
The state government also warned land grabbers and property speculators to desist from activities that contribute to environmental degradation and undermine approved urban development plans.
The warning came during a joint inspection of flood- and erosion-prone communities in Ogidi and Onitsha by the Commissioners for Works and Infrastructure, Physical Planning and Urban Development, and Environment.
The inspection team visited several vulnerable locations, including Ogidi Market, Building Materials Market, Opi Stream, the Marine Area and Trans-Nkisi Layout, to assess the extent of damage and identify areas requiring urgent intervention.
Speaking during the inspection, the Commissioner for Works and Infrastructure, Arc. Okey Ezeobi, said Phases Two and Three of the Ogidi Flood Control Project had been completed, while the design for Phase One was ready. He assured residents that the government was committed to providing a lasting solution to the perennial flooding in the area.
Ezeobi blamed much of the erosion damage on land grabbing, unregulated developments and alterations to approved master plans. He urged property owners to preserve designated drainage corridors and support ongoing government remediation efforts.
Also speaking, the Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Barr. Chijioke Ojukwu, disclosed that investigations revealed that some traders at the Building Materials Market in Ogidi had erected plazas and shops on designated drainage channels, obstructing the natural flow of stormwater and worsening flooding.
He warned that all structures encroaching on waterways would be removed to enable the government reclaim and restore critical drainage networks in line with Governor Chukwuma Soludo’s vision of building clean, orderly and sustainable communities.
Ojukwu also expressed concern over the growing threat of gully erosion in Trans-Nkisi GRA, Onitsha, describing environmental degradation as a major challenge requiring urgent intervention and strict compliance with planning regulations.
The Commissioner for Environment, Barr. Clem Aguiyi, identified illegal construction, indiscriminate waste disposal and the destruction of vegetation that naturally controls erosion as major factors worsening flooding and erosion across the state.
He called on residents to take collective responsibility by planting erosion-control trees, protecting drainage infrastructure and supporting government initiatives aimed at achieving sustainable environmental management.
The International Human Right Protection Service (IHRPS), Anambra State Chapter, has raised concern over the plight of Nigerians allegedly stranded in South Africa amid renewed xenophobic attacks, urging the Federal Government to urgently evacuate affected citizens and provide each returnee with a N5 million resettlement package.
The group claimed that since the first evacuation flight, no further arrangements have been made to bring more Nigerians home, leaving many stranded despite continued attacks and growing fears for their safety.
It also appealed to President Bola Tinubu and the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Bianca Ojukwu, to intensify efforts to protect Nigerian citizens in South Africa and facilitate their safe return.
The organisation, in a statement signed by its Anambra State Chairman, Hon. Dr. Amb. Prince Ekwunife, and Director of Special Duties, Mr. Ikenna-Daniel Okonkwo, said many Nigerians had lost their livelihoods, sold their properties, and were living in fear following recurring xenophobic attacks. It urged the Federal Government to provide a N5 million starter package for each returnee to help them rebuild their lives.
Recent criticisms of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) over the oil spill in Bille Kingdom have generated considerable public debate. While concerns about environmental degradation and the welfare of affected communities are valid and deserve attention, it is important that public discourse on the matter is guided by facts, a clear understanding of institutional responsibilities, and the realities of environmental remediation in the Niger Delta.
Bille Kingdom, like many communities in the Niger Delta, has faced the devastating consequences of oil spills over the years. These incidents have impacted livelihoods, fishing activities, farmlands, and the overall ecosystem upon which residents depend. Understandably, community members and stakeholders expect swift interventions from government agencies and development institutions.
However, attributing sole responsibility for responding to oil spills to the NDDC overlooks the specific mandates assigned to various agencies within Nigeria’s environmental and petroleum sectors.
The NDDC was established primarily as an interventionist agency tasked with facilitating sustainable development in the Niger Delta through infrastructure projects, social programmes, economic empowerment initiatives, and regional development planning. While environmental sustainability forms part of its developmental agenda, the direct containment, investigation, and cleanup of oil spills are responsibilities that largely fall under regulatory agencies and oil operators, in accordance with existing laws and environmental regulations.
This distinction is crucial. Oil spill response typically involves technical assessments, environmental impact studies, joint investigation visits, remediation procedures, and regulatory approvals. These processes are often coordinated by specialised environmental agencies in collaboration with oil companies operating in the affected areas. The NDDC’s involvement is generally complementary, focusing on long-term development interventions, community support programmes, and, where applicable, environmental restoration initiatives.
Furthermore, it is important to recognise that the NDDC has invested significant resources over the years in projects aimed at improving the quality of life in the Niger Delta communities. Across the region, the Commission has undertaken road construction, educational support programmes, healthcare initiatives, skills acquisition schemes, and various environmental projects designed to address the developmental deficits that have historically plagued oil-producing communities.
Critics are right to demand accountability and effective action whenever environmental disasters occur. Public institutions must remain responsive to citizens’ concerns, and affected communities deserve transparency in efforts to address ecological damage. Nevertheless, constructive criticism should be based on an accurate understanding of each institution’s statutory role.
Holding the NDDC responsible for functions outside its primary mandate risks diverting attention from those entities legally obligated to prevent, manage, and remediate oil spills.
Rather than assigning blame without a full appreciation of institutional responsibilities, stakeholders should encourage greater collaboration among oil companies, environmental regulators, state and federal authorities, community leaders, and development agencies, including the NDDC. Such collaboration offers the most practical pathway toward lasting environmental restoration and sustainable development in Bille Kingdom and the wider Niger Delta.
The people of Bille Kingdom deserve solutions, not confusion over mandates. As discussions continue, it is essential that all parties focus on facts, accountability, and coordinated action that delivers meaningful relief and long-term environmental recovery for affected communities.
Martins Ogolo
Public Affairs Analyst
martins.ogolo@yahoo.com
In several communities across the Niger Delta region, the visible government presence around them are projects executed by the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC.
It is, therefore, preposterous for anyone to suggest that the NDDC is not living up to its billing as an intervention agency.
A recent video by social critic Hilda Dokubo about water issues in some communities in the region is a clear case of misplaced aggression.
While access to clean drinking water remains an undeniable right for every citizen of the Niger Delta, it is wrong for Dokubo to heap her grievances only at the doorsteps of the NDDC. It is curious that she found it convenient to ignore the statutory tiers of governance responsible for primary public utilities.
When social advocates close their eyes to the fundamental constitutional obligations of state and local governments and heap unearned blame on interventionist agencies, they do more than obscure governance; they mislead a hurting public.
Let us be entirely clear about the statutory tiers of service delivery that Hilda Dokubo chose to ignore for some malicious intent. Under the constitutional architecture of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the provision of basic, everyday domestic infrastructure, specifically water supply, primary health care, and local feeder roads, is the direct, non-negotiable prerogative of State Water Boards and LGA Councils.
State and local governments across this region receive monthly statutory allocations directly from the Federation Account to fund these grassroots necessities. To demand, as Dokubo cheaply implies, that a regional interventionist body assume the permanent administrative role of a community water authority is to completely absolve elected governors and local council chairmen of the very duties they were elected to perform.
In Dokubo’s video clip, she showed the polluted water from one of our communities. It was one of the distasteful consequences of the environmental despoliation in many Niger Delta communities. But rather than calling out the oil companies responsible for the pollution, she focused her gaze solely on the NDDC. The oil companies, like the state and local governments, have a duty to provide basic amenities for their host communities.
Across the Niger Delta, numerous communities have consistently maintained access to clean water through solar-powered water projects implemented by the NDDC.
Dokubo’s selective attack on NDDC does absolutely nothing to keep the water flowing; instead, she is giving a free pass to the silence and negligence of state and local authorities who are failing in their statutory responsibilities.
Hilda Dokubo and her audience must know that the NDDC was established as a specialised, regional interventionist agency, not as a replacement for state and local governments. Its core purpose is to act as a catalyst for macro-development, focusing on regional master planning, constructing major regional trunk lines and interstate roads, executing large-scale environmental remediation, and driving regional human capital development, among others.
Public commentary by social advocates like Hilda Dokubo must move beyond emotional rhetoric to informed, rigorous institutional analysis. Her current approach does not solve the water crisis; it merely shifts the political focus away from local failure and protects the very politicians who are short-changing the grassroots.
The NDDC has undertaken several water projects across the Niger Delta region. Some specific examples include the Emergency Construction of a 10,000-Gallon-Capacity Solar-Powered Water Project in the Soku Community, Akuku-Toru LGA, Rivers State and the solar-powered water project in Abraham Ojo Ama Community, Okobo, Eastern Obolo L.G.A., Akwa Ibom State.
These initiatives are part of NDDC’s broader focus on rural development and clean energy. The commission’s Managing Director, Dr Samuel Ogbuku, has emphasised the importance of solar energy in powering communities and promoting sustainable development. In addition to providing clean water, NDDC’s solar-powered water projects also contribute to the region’s overall development by improving healthcare.
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