? Calls for calm

By PETER ANOSIKE

A prominent Igbo son and business man, Nelson Ahamefula Akuma, has described the judgment delivered on Thursday by Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court, Abuja, who sentenced the leader of the Indigenous people of Biafra (IPOB), Mazi Nnamdi Kanu to life time imprisonment for alleged terrorism as judicial injustice.

Speaking while reacting to the judgment, he appealed to the Igbos to remain calm and go about their businesses lawfully.

He said that he was in no way surprised by the judgment because it was premeditated.

According to him, two days before the judgment was given, Federal Government had beefed up security in the South East, which meant they already knew what would be the outcome.

Akuma said that if Justice Omotosho was not hell bent on convicting Nnnamdi Kanu, he should not have embarked on judicial hastiness but rather wait for other pending matters in different courts to be resolved first.

According to him, ?What happened was nothing but travesty of justice and a violation of the constitutional guarantee of fair hearing.?

He wondered why the same federal government that is negotiating with terrorists who have killed thousands of people and rehabilitating them, should convict Nnamdi Kanu to life imprisonment for making broadcasts.

?I want to say that I am not surprised at all by the judgment, because it was foretold. It was operation-convict-Mazi Nnamdi Kanu at all cost. And, again, the target is not just Mazi Nnamdi Kanu; it is the Igbo nation. It is those who are envious of the economic prosperity of the Igbos that want to use the conviction to stall developments in Igbo land because they know that with Nnamdi Kanu in prison, there would be no peace in Igbo land and where there is no peace, there would be no development. So, they want the sit at home to continue. They want the destruction of lives and properties in the southeast to continue. They want the haemorrhaging of the southeast economy to continue. So, it is high time Igbos use their tongue to count their teeth,?Akuma said

He advise Igbo not to fall into the trap of their enemies both within and outside Igbo land but rather to unite and move together, since a people united cannot be defeated.

Akuma also warned those who are hoping to use the conviction as political bargaining chip to forget about it because Igbos are no fools.

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