Barr. Ifeanyi Ejiofor, Lead Counsel to the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB has stated that the leader of the group, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu has not at any time denied his membership of the group, accusing the federal government of peddling falsehood about Nnamdi Kanu.
He was responding to the claim on Wednesday by Barr. S.M. Labaran Esq., who stood in for the Director of Public Prosecution of the Federation in the ongoing trial of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu that the IPOB leader denied his membership of the group.
He described the claim as deliberate misrepresentation/falsehood and wrong narratives which he decries is gradually gaining prominence on social media platforms and print media.
In a release on Thursday made available to ABN TV, Barr. Ejiofor said Nnamdi Kanu only denied that IPOB is not a terrorist group, stating that being the leader of such group is an offence.
He said, “S.M. Labaran Esq., who stood in yesterday for the Director of Public Prosecution of the Federation is a colleague I hold in high esteem, but I shall resist every mischievous ploy being adopted to misinform the unsuspecting members of the public who were not privy to the details of the proceedings in court yesterday, with a wrong and mischievous interpretation of the purport of the Plea taken by our indefatigable Client – Onyendu Mazi Nnamdi Kanu.
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“For the records, Onyendu Mazi Nnamdi Kanu never denied being the Leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) while taking his plea, but only STOUTLY DENIED THE FACT THAT IPOB IS A TERRORIST ORGANISATION AND THAT BEING ITS LEADER IS AN OFFENCE, which position is well informed.”
Barr. Ejiofor, therefore, called on members of the public to ignore the narrative that Nnamdi Kanu denied his membership of IPOB, noting that what he called black market order proscribing IPOB is a subject of Appeal in Appeal Number: APPEAL NO. CA/A/214/2018, pending before the Court of Appeal, Abuja Division.
“That being said, it is only laughable that the Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN) in their desperate but futile attempt to give a dog a bad name in order to hang it, brought a charge bordering on the status of IPOB, a subject matter of a competent Appeal, where issues has been joined with the same FGN.
“Therefore, be properly guided UmuChineke, because we have sufficiently addressed the emptiness of that count and entire charge in our compelling Submissions before the Court, now adjourned to be heard on the 16th day of February, 2022.
“We do not wish to dwell further on this subject, but be rightly informed that Onyendu Mazi Nnamdi Kanu never denied being the Leader of IPOB while taking his Plea yesterday” he added.
