The Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB) has urged the Department of State Security (DSS) to allow the family members and lawyers of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu to have access to him if he is still alive.
The group made the call in a statement made available to Grassroots.ng through its spokesperson, Comrade Emma Powerful, on Monday.
He also condemned the ‘hide and seek’ attitude of the Department of State Services and its systematic delay and failure to produce their leader in court on Monday in Abuja.
“We are no longer comfortable with this development. We have enough grounds to suspect foul play. With the failure of DSS to produce our leader in court today without any cogent reason and coupled with the torture meted out to him since his abduction in Kenya, we are worried about the safety of our leader. The failure of DSS to produce our leader in court today is confirming our fear over the uncertainty concerning his health.”
The IPOB spokesperson added that “Considering his deteriorating health condition since he was kidnapped and the refusal of DSS to grant him access to his personal physicians, it is possible that our leader may have been killed.
“This was a deliberate and wicked plot to inflict further torture on our leader who they have kept incommunicado for some days now. In the past seven days DSS has refused our lawyers and our leader’s family members access to him. This is wickedness!
“DSS should prove us wrong by producing our leader in court or granting his lawyers and family members access to him. We are running out of patience. Nigeria should not take IPOB for granted. Our leader must not die in detention.
“We also wish to heartily commend all markets, banks and government agencies, motor parks, and transport companies that showed solidarity to our leader Mazi Nnamdi Kanu without formal announcements from IPOB leadership. We thank all Biafrans and friends of Biafra who in one way or the other showed solidarity with our leader today.
“We also demand the unconditional release of all those arrested today in Abuja and other parts of the country for their solidarity to our leader. Nigeria must release them.”