Ifeanyi Ejiofor, the lead counsel to the leader of
Indigenous People of Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu, has tackled the Department of State
Services over claims that the IPOB leader is living a luxurious life in
detention.
In a press statement on Wednesday, Ejiofor said his client
is tortured mentally and psychologically on a daily basis in detention.
Contrary to claims by DSS’ spokesperson, Dr Peter Afunanya,
the IPOB lawyer claimed that Kanu is subjected to 23 hours daily solitary
confinement.
Ejiofor in a statement titled, ‘Press statement in rebuttal
of the wrong narrative being fed the public by the DSS vide their
spokesperson’, said Kanu is not also allowed to change his outfit since he was
repatraited from Kenya.
Part of the statement read, “Our client – Onyendu Mazi
Nnamdi Kanu needs not be subjected to daily beatings and flogging by the personnel
of the DSS before he can be qualified as being tortured – No!
“Section 2(b)(iv) of the Anti-Torture Act 2017, defined
torture to include:
“(b) Mental or psychological torture, which is understood as
referring to such cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment calculated to affect or
confuse the mind or undermine a person’s dignity and morale.
“We were unable to find in any place throughout his
statement where Mr. Afunanya clearly denied the fact that our client – Onyendu
Mazi Nnamdi Kanu is not subjected to 23 hours daily solitary confinement.
“In his desperate effort to deny the obvious, Mr. Afunanya
stated that our client is allowed the opportunity of daily changing of his
clothes. This is a blatant falsehood! Our client has not changed this cloth since
June 2021 he has been in the DSS facility till date.
“It is pertinent to inform the public at this juncture that
even our client’s family voluntarily bought his prayer shawls and holy book,
which items meant for prayers were submitted for the detaining authority’s
scrutiny but they vehemently rejected the items and consequently returned them
to us, insisting that they will procure the said items for him. Till date, the
DSS has woefully failed and/or refused to provide our client with these items,
even when the Court recently ordered that our Client be allowed to practice his
religion.
“The fact that our client’s potassium level is depleted,
which is a serious medical condition that the medical department of the DSS is
struggling day and night to address is beyond denial.
Onyendu’s blood sample has been drawn for well over 21 times
for laboratory examinations but till date, no solution is in sight. Their trial
and errors has continued unabated.
“To be very fair to the DSS, from June 2021 when our client
was taken into custody up until 10th November 2021, when he was openly
threatened in court by one of the DSS personnel that escorted him to court, our
client never complained to us that he was either being poorly fed or starved.
“However, since that officer boasted in open court that he
would deal with Onyendu during the altercation, which threat was captured in a
short clip, they started feeding him with poorly prepared food, and later
graduated to starving him. If they have reverted back to status quo, it may be
after we raised alarm, but this is still subject to confirmation.”
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