An American lawyer, Bruce Fein has expressed concern over the silence of the three major presidential candidates in Nigeria's upcoming election about the release of IPOB leader, Nnamdi Kanu from detention.
Fein said he was surprised that neither Atiku Abubakar ( PDP), Bola Tinubu (APC) nor Peter Obi( LP), has promised to obey court judgments and the findings of the UN Working Grou regarding the release of the detained leader of the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB) if elected president of Nigeria.
Fein, who is Kanu’s international lawyer
disclosed this in a tweet, in which he also called, " lawless," the continuing detention of Kanu by the Nigerian authorities in contravention of several Court judgments and directives of the United Nations Working Group on the matter.
Fein tweeted, “Arbitrary detention is a jus cogens norm of international law binding on all nations,”
“The UN Working Group’s finding that Kanu was being arbitrarily detained in violation of 16 human rights covenants binds Nigeria. Why are Atiku, Tinubu, and Obi not pledging compliance? Lawless?”
The lawyer also noted that accepting to take custody of Kanu from the Department of State Service (DSS) would amount to illegally aiding and abetting a violation of the decision of the UN Working Group.
“Anybody accepting custody of MNK (Mazi Nnamdi Kanu) from DSS illegally aids and abets a violation of the UN Working Group’s definitive decision directing his immediate unconditional release.
"MNK’s case is international. Strict compliance with the Working Group through me is the only option," Bruce Fein wrote.
Politics and Opinion.
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