BIAFRA
Approximately eight (8) months now, Dr Nnamdi Kanu, the Leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra and founder of Radio Biafra and other Biafran freedom protesters have been held in detention against their rights by Nigeria. Despite various court verdicts to free Dr Kanu and provisions of self-determination by United Nations and Human rights International, Buhari insisted on detaining him continuously. Continues illegal detention of Dr Nnamdi Kanu is call for International Criminal Court, International Court of Just, the British government, European Union, United Nations, International Meeting of Experts, Amnesty International, ECOWAS, and other relevant bodies to immediately address the violation of Kanu's right to determine his existence when marginalized or oppressed.
Dr Nnamdi Kanu is the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra and Founder of London Licensed Radio (Radio Biafra) and was accused of entering Nigeria without a passport and possessing heavy gadgets. He is a London-based activist and citizen of Britain. Kanu came to Nigeria to visit his parents as well to join his heavily-pregnant wife, who was expected to give birth through caesarian operation in the UK. He was illegally arrested on 14th of October 2016 but was formally announced by the Department of the State Security Service (DSS) on 18th October 2015.
The Federal High Court in Abuja on Thursday, December 2015 granted the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu, bail, to be released unconditionally by Justice Adeniyi Ademola. Mr Kanu’s release by the federal court came a day after a Magistrate Court sitting in Abuja struck out all suits filed against Kanu by State Security Service. Magistrate Shuaibu Usman struck out all criminal charges levelled against Mr Kanu after counsel to the State Security Services, Moses Idakwo, filed for discontinuation of the matter on the instruction of his client. On December 22nd, 2015, Kanu, who has levelled six others charges bordering on treasonable felony and the verdicts of the various courts to release him.
The principle of self-determination is prominently embodied in Article I of the Charter of the United Nations. Earlier it was explicitly embraced by US President Woodrow Wilson, by Lenin and others, and became the guiding principle for the reconstruction of Europe following World War I. The law was incorporated into the 1941 Atlantic Charter and the Dumbarton Oaks proposals which evolved into the United Nations Charter. Its inclusion in the UN Charter marks the universal recognition of the principle as fundamental to the maintenance of friendly relations and peace among states. It is recognised as a right of all peoples in the first article characteristic to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights which both entered into force in 1976. 1 Paragraph 1 of this Article provides:
"All peoples have the right to self-determination. By that right they freely determine their political status and freely pursue their economic, social and cultural development". The right to self-determination of peoples is recognized in many other international and regional instruments, including the Declaration of Principles of International Law Concerning Friendly Relations and Co-operation Among States adopted b the UN General Assembly in 1970, 2, the Helsinki Final Act adopted by the Conference on Security and Co-operation in Europe (CSCE) in 1975, 3, the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights of 1981, 4, the CSCE Charter of Paris for a New Europe adopted in 1990, 5, and the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action of 1993. 6, It has been affirmed by the International Court of Justice in the Namibia case 7, the Western Sahara case 8, and the East Timor case 9, in which its erga omnes character was confirmed. Furthermore, the scope and content of the right to self-determination have been elaborated upon by the UN Human Rights Committee 10, and the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination 11, and numerous leading international jurists.
That the right to self-determination is part of so-called hard law has also been affirmed by the International Meeting of Experts for the Elucidation of the Concepts of Rights of Peoples brought together by UNESCO from 1985 to 1991, 12, it came to the conclusion that (1) peoples' rights are recognised in international law; (2) the list of such rights is not very clear, but also that (3) hard law does, in any event, include the right to self-determination and the right to existence, in the sense of the Genocide Convention.
Dr Nnamdi Kanu has done Nothing in the phase of the earth. He is a prisoner of conscience. Detaining Kanu and other protesters covered in this article of self-determination are causing a problem of war. The people of Biafra are mature in mind and character. We have shown a high-level intelligence that appears we can lead ourselves peacefully. Pakistan is fighting to go away, and Britain is also protesting to do same from EU. I hope Biafran's will not be exceptional. Neither jaw-jaw nor war-war, our restoration of Biafra is not negotiable and not call for war. Maintaining the atmosphere of peaceful procedure to restore Biafra does not mean we are cowards, we are ready to go back to 2nd civil war if the need arises until will get our land.
I, therefore, call on Buhari to release Dr Nnamdi Kanu and other peaceful Biafrans under his custody. Also, call on International Criminal Court, International Court of Just, the British government, European Union, United Nations, International Meeting of Experts, Amnesty International, ECOWAS, and other relevant bodies to fasten up their attention towards the request of Biafrans: to free Dr Nnamdi Kanu and restore the Republic of Biafra.
By Prince Richmond C. Amadi
Editor Udeagha Obasi
UmuChiukwu Writers
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