New Telegraph 
Federal lawmakers from Northern Nigeria among other geo-political zones have demanded the release of detained leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Mazi Nnamdi Kanu. An online news portal, NewsOnline Nigeria reported that about 50 members of the House of Representatives spread across the six geo-political zones of the country under the aegis of the Concerned Federal Lawmakers for Peace and Security in the South-East, made the call in a letter cited yesterday.
The lawmakers appealed to President Bola Tinubu to invoke Section 174 of the Constitution of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended) and Section 107(1) of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, 2015 to release Kanu from the custody of the Department of State Services (DSS). It was gathered that the lawmakers elected on the platform of different political parties in a letter addressed to Tinubu, dated June 19, 2024, urged him to commence a peace move to address the insecurity challenges in the South-East.
Some of the signatories of the three-page letter include Obi Aguocha (Abia), Ikenga Ugochinyere (Imo), Afam Ogene (Anambra), Muhammed Jajere (Yobe), Aliyu Mustapha (Kaduna), Midala Balami (Borno), and Abiante Awaji-Inombek (Rivers). Others are Dominic Okafor (Anambra), Etanabene Benedict (Delta), Abdulmaleek Danga (Kogi), Shehu Dalhatu (Katsina), Chinedu Martins (Imo), Matthew Nwogu (Imo), Peter Aniekwe (Anambra), Koki Sagir (Kano) and Amobi Oga (Abia) among others.
This is as the lawmakers urged Tinubu to mandate the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, to invoke his powers of nolle prosequi under the provisions of Section 174(1) of the Constitution and Section 107(1) of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act 2015, and cause the release of Kanu from detention and discontinue his trial.
The letter read in part: “Your Excellency, we are concerned members of the House of Representatives of the Federal Republic of Nigeria with a strong belief and trust that the Renewed Hope agenda and the various positive reforms would be seen and felt by all.
“It is against this backdrop that we, the undersigned, hereby beseech Your Excellency to direct the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Prince Lateef Fagbemi SAN, to invoke his powers of nolle prosequi under the provisions of Section 174(1) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended) and Section 107(1) of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act 2015, and cause the release of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu from detention and discontinue his trial.
“We collectively believe this is long overdue and would be instrumental in opening the door for much needed conversations surrounding peace reformation and inclusivity, as well as addressing the issues that led to the agitations, especially at this time when Nigeria is going through several constitutional reforms.
