He’s threat to national security – Buhari govt on why Nnamdi Kanu can’t be released

By Adeleye Kunle

The Federal Government has explained why it can’t obey the court ruling ordering the release of the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, Nnamdi Kanu.

The government told the Appeal Court in Abuja that Kanu posed a flight risk and was a threat to national security.

An Assistant State Counsel in the office of the Attorney-General of the Federation, David Kaswe, informed the court that the case against Kanu bordered on national security.

He argued that the fundamental rights of the IPOB leader should be suspended due to national interest.

Kaswe said: “It is important to appreciate the gamut of depositions in our application. The Respondent is a flight risk person and one of the grounds of our application is that this matter touches on national security of the State.

“Once there is a threat to national security, human rights of any individual can be suspended until such threat is taken care of.”

Kaswe also informed the court that releasing Kanu would worsen the security situation in the South East.

“The defendant has shown that he has the capacity to jump bail or to escape from lawful custody.

“There is reasonable intelligence that the enforcement of judgement of this court, pending determination of our appeal at the Supreme Court, may impact negatively on the declining security in the South East,” he said