‘Be peaceful’ — Nnamdi Kanu tells supporters ahead of Tuesday’s court session

Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), has appealed to his supporters to conduct themselves in a peaceful manner during his next court appearance on January 18.

Kanu is standing trial on charges bordering on treasonable felony.

Admonishing his supporters in a statement issued by his lead counsel, Ifeanyi Ejiofor, the IPOB leader said they should “be civil in their conduct and comportment”.

Ejiofor said Kanu is in “high spirits” and ready for his trial.

“We undertook our customary visit to Onyendu (Kanu) in DSS custody today. In the course of the visit, our discussions focused primarily on our final preparations for the legal battle that would resume on the turf of the federal high court, Abuja judicial division, from next week and on subsequent adjourned dates, if any,” the statement read.

“We coalesced the product of our individual reflections on the most potent legal strategies henceforth to be adopted, fine tuned and harmonised them, and then distilled them into a single, conclusive, potent, workable formula.

“We are optimistic that the court outings of Onyendu would be impressive. Onyendu himself is in high spirit. Our discussions with him further reassured him and strengthened his determination to persevere unrelentingly.

“Onyendu is fully prepared to appear in court as from the 18th of January, 2022. He is rooting for victory and knows that, with the help of Chukwuokike Abiama, victory is assured.

“Further, Onyendu utilised the opportunity afforded by our visit to mandate us to admonish his teeming supporters and followers.

“He advises those of them that would appear in court in demonstration of their unflinching support and loyalty to him to conduct themselves with decorum, be civil in their conduct and comportment, shun violence and deviant behaviour in any manner or form, and exercise restraint in speech.

“On our part, we have caused formal correspondences to issue on responsible, sovereign, democratic governments and other international institutions to prevail on the Nigerian government to caution uncouth and overzealous security agents.

“We can authoritatively declare to you, that those correspondences are receiving the requisite attention they deserve.

“We are optimistic that there would be a positive transformation in the conduct and general approach of the said overzealous security agents at the next appearance of Onyendu in court.”