The protest for the release of the leader of Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB has taken another dimension with the inscription of “Free Nnamdi Kanu” on many naira notes in circulation in the South East zone.
In Nigeria, it is an offence to pierce, staple, write on, tear, squeeze or in any other way, abuse any naira note or coin.
According to section 21 of the CBN Act, the punishment ranges from Imprisonment for a term not less than six (6) months or to a fine not less than N50,000 or to both such fine and imprisonment.
Though the secessionist group is yet to release official statement on that, a member of the group who spoke to our reporter under anonymity explained that “this is to send our message to the Nigerian government that we are not happy about what is happening to our leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu.”
Explaining further he said,” very soon we will unveil another method. We will continue like this until our leader is released unconditionally.”
It could be recalled that the Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory on Thursday, October 13 upheld the appeal of the detained leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu.
The court also discharged and acquitted the embattled leader of the proscribed group.
Kanu had in his appeal dated April 29 and marked CA/ABJ/CR/625/2022 applied to be discharged and acquitted. Kanu was first arraigned on December 23, 2015, and was later granted bail on April 25, 2017.
However, the Court of Appeal on Thursday declared as illegal and unlawful, the abduction Kanu from Kenya to Nigeria and quashed the entire terrorism charges brought against him by the Federal Government.
The Appellate Court held that the Federal Government breached all local and international laws in the forceful rendition of Kanu to Nigeria thereby making the terrorism charges against him incompetent and unlawful.
The Appeal Court in a judgment by Justice Oludotun Adebola voided and set aside the charges by the Federal Government against Kanu.
The Appellate Court proceeded to discharge Kanu from the alleged offences.
However, since the said Appeal Court judgement, the IPOB leader is still under DSS custody, hence the recent protest by the secessionist group.