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Tag: Abaribe

  • Abaribe writes Nigerian-Israeli ambassador, demands whereabouts of Nnamdi Kanu

    The Senator representing Abia South, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, has written the Nigerian High Commissioner to Israel, His Excellency, Enoch Duchi, to confirm that the Leader, of the Indigenous People of Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu is in Israel.

    Abaribe wrote through his lawyer, Chukwuma-Machukwu Ume (SAN).

    The letter dated November 7th, 2018 was through the Hon. Minister for Foreign Affairs and entitled “Is a citizen of our country Nnamdi Kanu in Israel?”

    “We are the counsel to Senator Enyinnaya Harcourt Abaribe, a distinguished Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, representing Abia South Senatorial Zone in the 8th Senate of National Assembly of Nigeria.

    “As a pronounced patriot, he recently, against all odds, put live into our constitutional provision of the liberty of an accused as well as eased tension in our polity, by standing surety to Nnamdi Kanu (who is on trial on allegations of treasonable offences in CHARGE No. FHC/ABJ/CR/383/2015.)

    “In fact, to situate you properly into the salient realities involved in this national tragedy, the Nnamdi Kanu is the leader of the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB).

    “On 28th April 2017, the Hon trial Court granted him bail on medical grounds and Sen. Abaribe was one of the three sureties who executed the bail bond for his release.

    “Your Excellency would recall that sometimes in 2017, the Nigerian Army High Command announced publicly that they were going to commence a military operation code-named “OPERATION PYTHON DANCE “(EGWU EKE) 11 in the whole of the South East Zone of Nigeria from 15th of September to 14th of October 2017.

  • Abaribe, Fani-Kayode, others aid Kanu’s escape, lawyer tells court

    A Federal High Court in Abuja has been asked to hold Senator Eyinnaya Abaribe, PDP Chieftain, Femi Fani-Kayode and others responsible for the disappearance of Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) from the country.

    The court was also told to order their arrest and prosecution after proper investigation must have been done on how the IPOB leader fled the country.

    According to the plaintiff in the matter, Isaiah Agidi Ayugu, a lawyer, Senator Abaribe and Fani-Kayode aided his escape.

    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, other 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 was abducted, kidnapped, arrested and detained by the Nigerian Military, when indeed they were well aware of Kanu’s whereabout 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 thereforwe demanded the relase of Kanu dead or alive.

    He said in the affidavit attached to the origination motion exparte, “That the said Nnamdi Kanu,the so called self acclaimed leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (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 of 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.

    No date has been fixed for the hearing of the case.

  • Abaribe narrates ordeal in DSS detention, vows to continue speaking truth to power

    Senator representing Abia South, Enyinnaya Abaribe, on Wednesday narrated on the floor of the Senate how he was arrested and detained for days by officials of the Department of State Services (DSS).

    The embattled senator explained that he will continue to speak truth to power despite his arrest.

    Recall that the senator was arrested on June 22 by DSS operatives for his alleged links with the outlawed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).

    Abaribe, who was one of the sureties for the IPOB leader, Nnamdi Kanu, was later released after days with the operatives.

    Coming under order 43 of the Senate rule, the senator gave his account of the incident to his colleagues.

    “I have been inundated by Nigerians and my colleagues who were worried about the reports regarding my arrest by men of the DSS. So today Mr President, I crave your indulgence and those of my colleagues to state that on Friday 22nd of June I was arrested at the gate of the Hilton hotel while the International Press Institute congress was going on.

    “I was taken to the office of the DSS by 11:30 in the morning and subsequently by 5pm I was taken to my house for a search of my residence. When we got to my house, it was at the point I was formally informed of why I was arrested. The search warrant that was used stated clearly that I’m being accused of sponsoring a proscribed organisation, IPOB, and so that the search was to look for evidence of such.

    “After the search, which took about five to six hours, I was taken to the office of DSS at about 12 midnight and now kept there. The late musician that Nigerians know very well called Fela said ‘when you are inside, you are in inside world, when you are outside, you are in outside world.’

    “So when I was the inside world, the first person that received me and who helped my transition from freedom to incarceration was the former governor of Benue state, Governor Gabriel Suswam. He had been arrested on Tuesday, I was arrested on Friday. As at the time I was released last Tuesday, he told me he had not been told why he was arrested.

    “But Mr President, I have been released through the intervention of all well-meaning Nigerians led by you and the leadership of the Senate. I’m very glad and grateful. I want to use this opportunity to thank all Nigerians who were very concerned who did everything to secure my release.”

    “Let me also say Mr President that nothing has been found on the allegation that was made. Up till this moment, I am still on bail, administrative bail by the DSS and so every morning I have to report to the DSS but these things are going to be challenged [in court]. What everybody has asked me is that where do we go from here?”

    On his next move, Abaribe vowed to continue to tell the truth, saying that supporting an inefficient president would only amount to him not been patriotic.

    Though he did not mention his name, the senator appeared to be directing his statement at President Muhammadu Buhari, who he has always been critical of.

    “I want to crave your indulgence to tell every Nigerian where I want to go. I will do it by giving you Mr President and my distinguished colleagues, a quotation from the 26th president of the United States of America, Theodore Roosevelt.

    “That quotation reads ‘patriotism means to stand by the country, it does not mean to stand by the president or any other public official, same to the degree to which a president stands by the country. It is patriotic to support a president if so far as he efficiently serve the country. It is unpatriotic to not to oppose a president who fails to stand by his duty to do well for the country. And it is unpatriotic not to tell the truth whether about the president or anyone else.’

    “I will continue to tell the truth, I will continue to stand by this country, I will continue to say that no person is bigger than this country,” he said.

  • Senate boils as PDP senator describes Buhari ‘incompetent’

    The Nigerian Senate on Thursday experienced rowdy plenary session as Senator, Enyinnaya Abaribe (PDP, Abia State) described President Muhammadu Buhari as ‘incompetent’ leader.

    Abaribe had come under order 43 to discuss the issue of insecurity in Nigeria.

    Recall that the senator in March criticised President Buhari for constantly denying responsibility when the country faced certain challenges.

    “A few days ago, in this chamber we talked about the security of Nigeria,” he said. “I recall that on the matter of herdsmen versus farmers, two explanations were given by highly ranked security personnel in the country. First of all, the Inspector General of Police said that these killings were as a result of laws being passed by states. Secondly, the Defence Minister said these killings were as a result of the blockage of grazing routes. And we continued to look at all these explanations.

    “Yesterday, in London, the Commander-in-Chief and President of Nigeria, Muhammadu Buhari said that these killings were as a result of the people who were trained by the late Muammar Gaddafi, implying that these people who are doing these killings in Nigeria are invaders from outside of Nigeria. And if he even said they are invaders, what it means is that it validates my last point that when a commander-in-chief says he cannot take care of invaders, why is he still a commander-in-chief?

    “Why do we still continue to indulge this president that everywhere goes along to tell everybody outside this country that he is totally incompetent? Because it’s is obvious…”

    He, however, cut short by the Senate President, Bukola Saraki, as senators, mostly from the ruling APC, reacted.

    “You can’t finish, you can’t finish,” they shouted suggesting to the Senate President not to allow Sen. Abaribe continue his speech.

    After a partial restoration of order, Senate Leader, Ahmed Lawan, cautioned Abaribe and asked him to withdraw his statement.

    “The President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria is the leader of this country and deserves the respect and courtesy of this chamber and those of us in it. I was once a member of the opposition and I do not recall ever calling (out) the then president or insult(ing) him. This is our institution. If we do not conduct ourselves with respect, nobody will. I want to ask my colleague to immediately withdraw his statement and apologise to this chamber,” he said.

    But an irate Abaribe refused to withdraw the statement, leading to more anger from the other senators who insisted he did so.

    The chamber was again chaotic for several minutes as protests from APC senators continued.

    It took the intervention of the Senate President to make Abaribe withdraw the statement partially.

    “I am very well guided by you but and I say Mr President that there are words that there are no alternatives to. What I did was to interpret the words by Mr President in London and I juxtaposed it with the explanations here. What it tells me is that there is a conflict.

    “If any word I used is misunderstood by anyone, I apologise. All I am saying is simple. The heads of security in Nigeria made several explanations for the killings of our citizens and there is a dis…”

    After another rowdy session, the Deputy Senate Leader, Ibn Na’Allah, coming under sections Order 53 and 54 said Abaribe ”was not in order for tabling an issue that deals with Mr President without raising a substantive motion”.

    “The issue is you cannot even raise any issue regarding the conduct of the president,” he said.

     

  • IPOB: Produce Nnamdi Kanu for trial or go to jail, court tells Abaribe, other sureties

    Sequel to the prolonged absence of the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, the Federal High Court in Abuja has asked the prosecution to issue an enrolled order for the appearance before it of three sureties in the trial Kanu.

    Kanu, who is facing trial for alleged treason, was required to be produced in court by his sureties. He has not been seen after since September 2017.

    Justice Binta Nyako had asked the sureties to either explain why their N100 million bond should not be forfeited, produce the defendant or be remanded in prison.

    Although the court repeatedly made the order, the prosecution was yet to serve the defence counsel with the court summons on the matter.

    Nyako adjourned the case for the sureties to respond to the demand by the court.

    At the resumption of the matter, however, a counsel for the sureties, Chukwuma_Machukwu Umeh, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, said his client had not been served with court papers relating to the order made by the judge.

    He, therefore, made a fresh application for an order of court demanding that the prosecution serves the sureties with copies of the order, as made by the court.

    Umeh argued that responding to the verbal order could render the entire process legally defective.

    The other lawyers in the defence team aligned themselves with Mr. Umeh’s application.

    In his response, the prosecution counsel, Shaibu Labaran, urged the court to resist sacrificing the demand for justice on the altar of technicalities.

    Labaran disagreed with the submission of the defence that an enrolled order was necessary to ensure compliance to the instructions made in court.

    He described the fresh application as a “conspiracy” to set back the matter before the court and demanded its dismissal.

    In a reaction to comments made by the prosecution, Mr. Umeh demanded the withdrawal of the word: “conspiracy,” used by Mr Labaran and urged the court to uphold his application.

    The judge granted the request by the defense, but noted that the application was an evidence of their lack of readiness to proceed with the matter.

    “What is clear is that you are not ready,” said Mrs Nyako.

    “The sureties are to be served with the order of this court: to show cause why they should not forfeit their bond or to produce the defendant in the next adjourned date, with the alternative to go to prison,” she added.

    Recall that Kanu’s sureties are a senator, Eyinnaya Abaribe, a Jewish priest, Immanuu-El Shalom, and an accountant resident in Abuja, Tochukwu Uchendu.

  • Biafra: Sen Abaribe knows whereabouts of Nnamdi Kanu, FG tells court

    The Federal Government has insisted that Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe knows the whereabouts of the leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu and most produce him for trial.

    TheNewsGuru.com reports that Abaribe who is standing as surety for the embattled IPOB leader had filed an application seeking to withdraw his status as one of the sureties for Kanu.

    However, the federal government, in its counter-affidavit and written address filed before the Federal High Court in Abuja to oppose Abaribe’s request, told Abaribe that Kanu was in his custody and he had to produce him for the continuation of his trial.

    It stated in its counter-affidavit that Abaribe was aware that Kanu “has long violated the bail conditions handed down by this honourable court” on April 24, 2017 before September 11 when he claimed to have lost contact with the defendant.

    The counter-affidavit read in part, “That it was at this point at violating the conditions at the bail that the senator surety ought to surrender the 1st defendant and or bring up this application; “That this application is belated and ill-timed;

    “The applicant failed to apply to the court timeously, stating on oath that the defendant bound by recognizance to appear before this court had violated the bail condition given by this court.”

    The prosecuting counsel, Mr. Shuaibu Labaran, argued in the written address that Abaribe “failed woefully” by allegedly aiding and abetting Kanu to flout his bail conditions.

    The written address stated, “My lord, the surety has failed woefully to abide by the terms of the contract he entered into with this court and therefore cannot claim frustration.

    “My lord, we urge that the court hold, that surety having refused to do what he ought to have done pursuant to section 174 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act 2015 aided and abetted the 1st defendant in the flouting of the bail conditions of this court and should forfeit the bond he entered into.”

    Denying that Kanu was not in the custody of the Nigerian Army, the Federal Government stated in its counter-affidavit that the defendant remained in Abaribe’s custody.

    “That the military activities in Abia State tagged ‘Operation Python Dance II’ was a routine exercise in its second year carried out by the military at the end of every year.

    “That the 1st defendant is not in the custody of the Nigerian military or any other security agency in that regard.

    “That the 1st defendant is in custody of the applicant (Abaribe).”

    Kanu was absent from court when his case came up on October 17, 2017, but his co-defendants with whom he was being prosecuted on charges of treasonable felony were produced in court by prison officials.

    Abaribe’s lawyer, Ogechi Ogunna, informed the court of the motion by his client seeking to withdraw as Kanu’s surety but the judge said she would not hear it until the senator first produced the missing defendant.

    She gave Abaribe and the two other sureties up till November 20 to produce the defendant in court.

    Meanwhile, the Indigenous People of Biafra on Sunday insisted that the Federal Government of President Muhammadu Buhari knew the whereabouts of its leader, Nnamdi Kanu.

    It asked the government to produce Kanu without further delay in order not to provoke the group to go into armed conflict with the government.

    In a statement made available to our journalists in Awka, Anambra State by the group’s Media and Publicity Secretary, Emma Powerful, IPOB accused Buhari and some leaders in the South-East geopolitical zone of conspiracy of silence on the issue.

    The statement read, “We are asking Maj.-Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, Nnia Nwodo and South-East governors to produce Nnamdi Kanu because they or their representatives all participated in countless meetings in Abuja and Enugu where the modus operandi of the genocidal Operation Python Dance II was agreed and ratified.

    “It was as a direct result of military invasion of the home of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu and massacre of 28 innocent unarmed civilians with many missing that has led us to once again politely ask that our leader be presented to us dead or alive.

    “It is becoming clear to everybody that Muhammadu Buhari, Nnia Nwodo and South East governors are desperately trying to draw IPOB into armed confrontation and militancy to justify their genocidal clampdown on innocent people of the South-East and South-South.”

     

  • Just in: Sen Abaribe begs court to discharged him as Nnamdi Kanu’s surety

    Senator representing Abia South Senatorial District, Enyinaya Abaribe, has begged that the court discharge him from the suretyship, bond, and recognizance of the bail of the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu.

    In an application filed against the Federal Government, Nnamdi Kanu, and his co-defendants, Senator Abaribe is asking the court to make an order discharging him as surety to Abaribe prayed the court to discharge him entirely from the incidence of bail of Kanu.

    He is also asking for a discharge of the bond used for Kanu’s bail and a refund of N100 million or any other bond paid to the court sequel to the bail.

    The grounds upon which Senator Abaribe sought the reliefs include that the Nigerian army during a raid at the residence of the IPOB leader engaged in a fracas with members of the group which has been proscribed by the federal government.

    Abaribe said since the raid by the Nigerian Army, the first defendant has not been seen or reached.

    He also said Kanu is yet to make any public appearance or any statement since the raid.

    Abaribe said: “Since the afore stated visit of the Nigerian Army to the residence of the first defendant from September 11, 2017, the second respondent in this suit has not been seen again nor reached on phone the applicant neither is he reported in any news media as seen by any person nor made any statement on any issue.”

    The Senator said since September 20, the report in the media is that the first respondent (Federal Government) has proscribed IPOB an organization led by Kanu and declared the organization a terrorist organization.

    He said security agencies of the Federal Government are interested in the second respondent.

    “The activities of the Nigerian Army as affecting the first respondent are matters of state secret incapable of being unravelled by the applicant which activities has put the second respondent out of the reach of the applicant such that the applicant cannot reasonably be expected to produce the second respondent before this court at any subsequent date.

    The applicant lacks capacity to produce a person stated by the first respondent to be ma member of a terrorist organization or any person who the first respondent is reported to be interested in his whereabouts in the aftermath of the military operation in Abia state,” Abaribe said in his application.

    Senator Abaribe, a Jewish Rabbi and traditional ruler stood as surety for the IPOB leader in August when he was granted bail by Justice Binta Nyako of the Federal High Court.

    The surety and bond of N100 million each which was made available by Senator Abaribe and the two others helped in the release of Kanu from the Kuje Prison in Abuja where he was being held for over a year.

    Kanu and his co-defendants, Benjamin Madubugwu, David Nwawuisi and Chidiebere Onwudiwe are facing criminal trial of treasonable felony, conspiracy, and concealing of good imported into the country.

    As at the filing of this report the application though before justice Binta Nyako is yet to be heard.

  • ‘Nnamdi Kanu has put us in trouble’ says his surety, Sen. Abaribe

    Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe has expressed worry over the whereabouts of the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu.

    Kanu has not been seen since the Nigerian Army allegedly invaded his home in September.

    The IPOB leader, who was arrested in Lagos on 14 October, 2015, for alleged treasonable felony, among others, was released in April, 2017, after Justice Binta Nyako of the Federal High Court, Abuja, had granted him bail.

    And Senator Abaribe, who was one of the three sureties that signed Kanu’s bail, said those in support of the IPOB leader’s agitation should think twice.

    The lawmaker spoke at the Made-in-Aba Products Fashion Show held as part of the 2017 Convention of Abia State National Association of North America (ASNA) at Hilton Hotel JFK, New York on Saturday.

    “I am a Nigerian Senator and not that of Biafra. We had advised Kanu, reminding him that his rights end where those of others begin. We are now in trouble, because we do not know where he is and how to contact him. Those that support Kanu’s agitation should think twice,” the Senator said.

    “We think we need Biafra, but this Biafra should be that of the mind that represents our ingenuity and our innate quality for hard work and enterprise, especially as oil proceeds keep dwindling.”

  • Drama as senators plot to declare Saraki as Acting President

    Drama as senators plot to declare Saraki as Acting President

    A mild drama played out at the Senate on Tuesday after Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe raised an order that there was a vacuum in government because Acting President Yemi Osinbajo was not in the country.

    Abaribe said there was serious problem in the country because “we have nobody in Nigeria who is at the head of the government”.

    “I simply want to bring to the attention of this chamber and all Nigerians and to ask the question, the acting president is the person who is at the head of government now, but we have a serious problem in Nigeria today. We have nobody in Nigeria who is at the head of the government,” Abaribe said.

    “The law and the procedure and all the laws in Nigeria states that you cannot have a vacuum. Today the acting president is outside the country and so there is a vacuum.”

    This was however countered through order 53 rule 4 of the Senate standing rules, by Senator Kabiru Marafa representing Zamfara Central.

    “Mr President, my distinguished colleagues, it is the abuse of out sensibilities and that of Nigerians everywhere to make the assertion that there is no head of government in Nigeria and that there is a vacuum in the leadership of Nigeria,” Marafa said.

    “The constitution is very clear. If the president is out of the country, the constitution is clear as to who is the head of government. If the acting president is out of the country, the senate president is the next in the line of succession.

    “You should desist from making this unwarranted remarks.”

    Saraki in response said the matter Abaribe brought was not in line with what was being discussed.

    “He came under order 53 (4). This matter senator Abaribe brought out, as eloquently as being delivered is not in one with the discussion that we have now,” Saraki said.

    “So, we can have another day for that if need be. But according to our rules, it is not in line with our discussion. I have no choice but to rule the matter out of order.”