The Minority Leader of the Senate, Enyinnaya Abaribe, has broken his silence over the arrest and extradition of the Supreme Leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu to Nigeria.
Abaribe advised the Federal Government to apply caution and strict adherence to the rule of law in handling Kanu’s issue.
The Senator, representing Abia-South Senatorial District in the National Assembly gave this advise in a statement titled, “Nnamdi Kanu: Abaribe urges respect to fundamental human rights, adherence to rule of law” by his Media Adviser, Uchenna Awom, on Wednesday.
The 66-year-old, who stood surety for Kanu when he was first arraigned a few years ago, advised the Federal Government to be guided by the provisions of Section 31 of the 1999 Constitution.
Part of the statement read, “The relevant section and charter presuppose that the detainee should be humanely treated while in the custody of the state.
“What it means is that it is the duty of the government in this instance to protect him and ensure the respect of his fundamental human rights while his trial lasts.
“For now, it is trite law, that he is presumed innocent until proven guilty,” Abaribe said.
He, however, called for calm saying that the recent events presented ample opportunity for dialogue and for the Federal Government to address the contending issues that seems to challenge the peace and unity of the country.