Nigeria’s intelligence community are against the demand by
Nnamdi Kanu and his legal team to have him moved to the Kuje Prison from the
Department of State Services (DSS) custody.
In court on Monday, his counsel Ifeanyi Ejiofor informed the
media of three applications, including Kanu’s transfer to the correctional
centre.
First: An expedited hearing in the case of the Indigenous
People of Biafra (IPOB) leader.
The lawyer said Justice Binta Nyako explained that an
approval is required from the Chief Justice of the Federal High Court to
prosecute the trial due to the current vacation of judges.
Second: Ejiofor disclosed that he complained about DSS’s
refusal to allow lawyers to regularly meet Kanu.
“We told the court that the detention authority, in this
case, the DSS, should give us access to our client. We’ve not seen him. That
has been agreed and we are going to see him soon“, he said.
The third: An application to get Kanu transferred to the
Kuje Correctional Centre. “The application was made on July 14, 2021”, Ejiofor
hinted.
Justice Nyako rejected the plea, insisting Kanu is safe,
secure and being kept in good conditions at the DSS.
However, intelligence agencies are not comfortable with the
request. They believe the motive is a jail break being “planned” by IPOB and
its militant wing, Eastern Security Network (ESN).
An officer told PRNigeria that a grand plan of a massive
attack on the Kuje Prison had been uncovered.
“They want him transferred to the prison so they can storm
there as they have done to many Police Stations and Correctional Centres in the
South-East in the last six months.
“Nnamdi Kanu celebrated the destruction when he emphasized
via his Twitter account that no soul deserved to be locked up in any Nigerian
prison. Imagine him now saying that’s where he prefers,” he said.
The source pointed out that prominent individuals arrested
and detained at the DSS are normally given better treatment, compared to police
cells.
The law enforcement circle asserts IPOB/ESN members carried
out the assault on Imo Prison and Police Headquarters with sophisticated
weapons such as General Purpose Machine Guns (GPMGs), Sub-Machine Guns (SMGs),
AK49 rifles, Rocket Propelled Grenades (RPGs) and Improvised Explosive Devices
(IEDs).
A separate source on Tuesday said that Kuje
Prison may not be able to withstand a coordinated intrusion.
“I’m going to be sincere with you, the facility isn’t a
place for a high-profile suspect like Nnamdi Kanu who has thousands of die-hard
followers.
“Kuje Prison is not extremely fortified and you know it’s
actually not within Abuja. So if there’s a situation, damage might have been
done before reinforcement gets there.”
Nigerian authorities argue that foreign countries and
partners agree that the carnage by IPOB and ESN, including the murder of
security agents and civilians, justify Kanu’s arrest.
Kanu was intercepted in Kenya and repatriated on June 27,
2021 after years on the run. The outspoken separatist will be re-arraigned at
the Federal High Court, Abuja, in October.
Advertise on NigerianEye.com to reach thousands of our daily users
No comments
Post a Comment
Kindly drop a comment below.
(Comments are moderated. Clean comments will be approved immediately)
Advert Enquires - Reach out to us at NigerianEye@gmail.com