For fear of being sent to jail, Senator Eyinnaya Abaribe and Chief Femi Fani-Kayode, have approached a Federal High Court in Abuja, asking it to join them in the suit filed by a lawyer, seeking their prosecution for the role they played in the escape of the leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu from the country.
The lawyer, Isaiah Agidi Ayugu, had in a suit told the court to hold Abaribe, Fani-Kayode, Kanu’s lawyer, Ifeanyi Ejiofor and others responsible for the disappearance of Kanu, after he was granted bail by the court.
The court was also told to order their arrest and prosecution after proper investigation must have been done on how the IPOB leader fled out of the country.
According to the plaintiff in the matter, Senator Abaribe and Fani-Kayode aided his escape.
But having realised that the judgement of the court will affect them one way or the other, the trio rushed to the court with motions seeking to be joined in the matter.
In their motions dated 16th and 19th November, 2018, the applicants urged the court to join them as respondents in the suit.
They argued that if they are not joined in the matter as respondents, they may be denied fair hearing.
According to the affidavit in support of the motion, filed by Mr. Chukwuma Machukwu Ume, SAN, the applicants said they are innocent of the allegation against them and can only disprove them by being joined as a party in the suit.
They also argued that they need to provide the court with balanced and credible facts and witnesses to show that the suit is not only a base action, an abuse of court process but also that the suit is an ill-fates political mission.
The case has been adjourned to January 11th, 2019 for the argument of the motion.
Joined in the suit dated October 31st, 2018 as respondents are the Director- General, State Security Service, the State Security Service, the Inspector-General of Police and the Nigeria Police Force.
In the suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1254/18, the plaintiff asked the court to immediately order the respondents in the matter to commence investigation into the circumstances surrounding the escape of Kanu from Nigeria, after the Nigerian Army were accused of abducting, arresting, killing and assassinating him.
Apart from Abaribe and Fani-Kayode, others accused of aiding his escape are
Ifeanyi Ejiofor, Tochukwu Uchendu, Emmanuel Shallow Ben, Emmanuel Kanu, Uchechi Kanu.
Ayugu, in the suit filed through his counsel, Oghenovo Otemu, prayed the court for an order mandating all the respondents in the case to investigate and prosecute Senator Eyinnaya Abaribe, Femi Fani-Kayode,
Ifeanyi Ejiofor, Tochukwu Uchendu, Emmanuel Shallow Ben, Emmanuel Kanu, Uchechi Kanu and all those who worked together to propagate and spread lies and falsehood that Kanu we abducted, kidnapped, arrested and detained by the Nigerian Military, when indeed they were well aware of Kanu’s where about because they played roles in helping him to disappear from Nigeria.
The plaintiff said during the period when the blackmail was against the military and the Nigerian government, he suffered emotional and psychological trauma as his freedom of movement and rights were hindered both at home and abroad.
He said so much pressure was asserted on the federal government and its agencies by Senator Eyinnaya Abaribe, Femi Fani-Kayode,
Ifeanyi Ejiofor, Tochukwu Uchendu, Emmanuel Shallow Ben, Emmanuel Kanu, Uchechi Kanu, leaders of Afaraukwu community in Umuahia North Local Government Area of Abia state, the different Civil Liberty Organisations and media practitioners who worked together to propagate and spread inciting lies that Kanu was arrested, detained or killed by the Nigerian Military and therefore demanded the relase of Kanu dead or alive.
He said in the affidavit attached to the originating motion exparte, “That the said Nnamdi Kanu, the so called self acclaimed leader of IPOB, a group that has long been proscribed and designated a terrorist group is alive and was seen in Israel from where he called a World Press Conference and made a live broadcast of his new and renewed agenda for his group. In the broadcast, Kanu boasted that he will bring “Hell to Nigeria”.
“That it is therefore clear that whilst Senator Eyinnaya Abaribe, Femi Fani-Kayode, Ifeanyi Ejiofor, Tochukwu Uchendu, Emmanuel Shallow Ben, Emmanuel Kanu, Uchechi Kanu, leaders of Afaraukwu community in Umuahia North Local Government Area of Abia state, the different Civil Liberty Organisations and media practitioners and so many others too numerous to mention were making several dangerous claims that Nnamdi Kanu has been killed, abducted or being held by the Army or government, they were aware that he was actually out of the country by their collective or respective assistance from where he resurfaced in video clips of him praying in Israel and subsequent video broadcast.
“That because Senator Abaribe took Nnamdi Kanu on bail, the case against Nnamdi Kanu has not seen the light of the day as Nnamdi Kanu has now jumped bail.”
He accused the outlawed IPOB of stockpiling arm to truncate the 2019 general election.
