Buhari backtracks on Nnamdi Kanu's release saying he will not interfere with judicial process

PRESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari has dismissed suggestions that he should grant a presidential amnesty to Indigenous People of Biafra (Ipob) leader Nnamdi Kanu saying it would be tantamount to him interfering with the judicial process.

Highly controversial, Mr Kanu has been campaigning for the recreation of the independent republic of Biafra which broke away from Nigeria between July 1967 and January 1970 during the civil war. His campaign, which has led to the phenomenal growth of Ipob, has set him at odds with the Nigerian government who him arrested and put on trial for treason.

While the case was still pending, Mr Kanu was granted bail in April 2017 on health grounds but skipped his bail after flouting the conditions given to him by the court and fled Nigeria. However, in a dramatic development in June last year, Mr Kanu was abducted in Kenya in a commando operation carried out by Nigerian security operatives  and flown to Nigeria where his trial has resumed.

Over the last six months, Mr Kanu's trial has polarised the nation, with Igbo groups calling for his immediate release and the dropping of all charges against him as part of a rapprochement process. President Buhari has come under a lot of pressure lately to accede to the demands of these Igbo groups but northern hardliners are also pressing him not to give ground.

Speaking on Channels TV yesterday, President Buhari said: “We cannot release Nnamdi Kanu as there is no political solution to it. His case is for the judiciary and one of the things I promised myself is never to interfere with the job of the judiciary.

"Kanu has been insulting us. He has been giving incorrect figures and comments against us, so he needs to account for what he did."

President Buhari added that the government has given Mr Kanu the opportunity to defend himself against all the charges brought against him. Last month, President Buhari told a delegation of Igbo leaders led by former aviation minister in the First Republic, Chief Mbazulike Amaechi, that he would consider their request to release Mr Kanu.