IPOB: Lawyer seeks Nnamdi Kanu’s arrest at ICC

A Nigerian lawyer has filed a criminal complaint against the leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu at the International Criminal Court (ICC) in Hague.

In a criminal complaint dated September 2, 2019, Thomas Carroll, on behalf of the ‘Make Nigeria Better Initiative’ (MNBI), is seeking the arrest and prosecution of Kanu for issuing a threat to attack President Muhammadu Buhari during his visit to Japan to attend the 7th Tokyo International Conference on African Development, holding in the City of Yokohama, Japan.

According to MNBI, apart from the physical attack carried out by the group against former Deputy Senate President, Senator Ike Ekweremadu by IPOB in Nuremberg, Germany, acting on Kanu’s orders, similar threats had been issued against the five south east governors who are Governors; David Umahi of Ebonyi, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu, Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia and Willie Obiano of Anambra State.

The complainants averred that IPOB also put on notice Ndigbo leaders such as the President-General of the Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Nnia Nwodo, whom it accused of supporting “Operation Python Dance” which was launched by the Nigerian Army in the South-East in 2016 in the wake of protests by IPOB members who were causing havoc and forcefully demanding secession from Nigeria.

The group further demanded that: “That the ICC Prosecutor obtain International Arrest Warrant for the Accused from the ICC in accordance with Articles 58 (1) (a), 58 (1) (b) (i), 58 (1) (b) (ii) and 58 (1) (b) (iii) and proceed to arrest the Accused from wherever he is hiding so he can face their trial.

“That the ICC Prosecutor compels the Accused upon conviction under the Rome Statute to pay the sum of $1,000,000,000 (One Billion US Dollars) as punitive damages for causing death, injury and maiming of several Nigerians through his acts of terrorism.

“That the ICC Prosecutor compels the British Government to expeditiously begin the process of cancelling the citizenship of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, entering an Exclusion Decision and or Order barring him from all territories of the United Kingdom so he can return to Nigeria and face his treasonable felony trial pending before Honourable Justice (Mrs.) Binta Nyako sitting at the Federal High Court, Abuja.”