Former Senate Minority Leader, Enyinnaya Abaribe, has condemned the life sentence handed to Nnamdi Kanu, describing the outcome as the result of a long-standing plan that offered no surprise to the Igbo nation.
In a statement released on Thursday, November 20, by his Media Adviser, Uchenna Awom, the Senator said the verdict confirmed fears that the Federal Government had already made up its mind on how Kanu’s case would end.
He argued that the refusal to consider amnesty for the IPOB leader, while extending negotiations and peace deals to armed groups elsewhere, exposed what he called a troubling imbalance in the nation’s justice system.
“Is it not an irony that negotiations and peace deals with rampaging terrorists in the North East, North West were gleefully initiated by the Local Government, States and Federal Government just like the amnesty to ex militants in the South South, who were rewarded with lucrative oil pipeline contracts. This is to say that justice in Nigeria is not for the South East”, Abaribe said.
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He noted that leaders from the region had repeatedly urged the government to consider a political solution, but their pleas were ignored.
“So we are not surprised, our people can only endure and hope for a time justice in Nigeria would become the sine qua non.
“We have done our best, we have variously made the case for the authorities to be circumspect and at least accede to pardon for the sake of unity and inclusiveness,” he said.
Abaribe said the Igbo nation now had no choice but to leave the matter in the hands of President Bola Tinubu, expressing hope that the President would steer the country toward fairness.
“We ask the Igbo nation and other lovers of Nigeria to remain calm, pray and not take the law into their hands. May Nigeria succeed, thrive and advance in Justice, Equity and Fairness”, he added.