The Family of the leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) Nnamdi Kanu have raised an alarm over the presence of soldiers in their hometown, Isiama Afaraukwu in Umuahia North Local Government Area of Abia State.
Nnamdi Kanu’s younger brother, Emmanuel who spoke to The Nation on Wednesday November 25, said residents have become apprehensive by the soldiers’ presence.
Emmanuel stressed that Afaraukwu is yet to recover from the shock and trauma of an alleged 2017 military invasion and further added that they are not comfortable with soldiers patrolling the “peaceful” community.
He said, “We don’t want what happened at Lekki to happen again in our community.”
Brother of the secessionist group’s leader also called on military authorities not to deploy soldiers to the peaceful community to avoid ”intimidation and harassment of innocent residents and indigenes.”
However an officer at the 14 Brigade Headquarters who did not want to be named, dismissed Prince Kanu’s claim and also stated the soldiers were carrying out their legitimate duties.
Appealing to members of the community and public to go about their lawful business, the military source insisted that it is only someone that has a ”skeleton in his cupboard that will be agitated.”
The treasonable felony case of Kanu will come up at the Federal High Court in Abuja today, November 26. Kanu and others are on trial on a five-count charge bordering on treasonable felony and managing an unlawful organisation.
The Federal Government accused them of conspiracy to broadcast materials intended to secede from Nigeria and create a state of Biafra.
The court issued a hearing notice to the prosecution and defence teams. The notice is dated November 24, 2020.
It says the case “will be transferred from the general cause list to the hearing paper for Thursday the 26th day of November 2020 at 9am…”
Kanu, who has been abroad, was granted bail in April 2017 for health reasons, but fled the country afterwards.
Due to his absence, Justice Binta Nyako revoked the bail and ordered his arrest.
Kanu’s lawyer argued that his client left the country because of soldiers’ invasion of his family’s home in Abia State during a military exercise, Operation Python Dance.
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