"Kanu's Sentencing Can't Maintain Any Order": Lawyer Gives Reason
Binzak Azeez, a legal practitioner, has condemned the sentencing of the leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, who was handed a life imprisonment over the activities of the group in the southeast.
The legal practitioner, in an exclusive interview with Legit.ng, cited the case of United States President Donald Trump and his supporters who attacked the legislative quarters in America, noting that the US president was supposed to be handed a life imprisonment, but the US law was never fully applied.
Source: Twitter
Azeez maintained that in cases such as that of Kanu, the court did not need to apply the full wrath of the law as it was done in the United States for Donald Trump, for the sake of national stability. He maintained that though the court's verdict was in line with the existing law but national stability should have been put into consideration.
His statement reads:
"I am totally dissatisfied with Nnamdi Kanu's sentencing. If I am to express my view strictly in line with my training and knowledge as a legal practitioner, I would justify Kanu's conviction and sentencing having read Justice Omotosho's judgment. Lawyers are generally trained to agree or disagree by making references to laws and facts revolving around any socio-political issues at hand. I don't really have any superior legal arguments to disagree with the judgment passed on Kanu.
"However, I strongly hold the view that on the issues related to national stability, there are factors beyond the strict interpretation of laws and facts to be considered before arriving at a decision. The purposes of having laws are to maintain order and serve as a deterrent for violators/offenders. Kanu's conviction and sentencing can't serve any deterrence or maintain any order. His sentencing will only embolden more people and even justify Biafra's agitation.
"On the surface, the court may appear to only interpret laws and facts. In practice, there are other unpronounceable factors beyond these two elements on matters related to national stability. For instance, the Supreme Court upheld the 2007 presidential election despite that the then-President Umaru Yar'Adua admitted that the election was fraudulent and every fact supported the electoral fraud. The court upheld the election basically to maintain national stability. There are numerous cases where national stability was prioritised.
"If American laws were to be strictly applied, President Donald Trump would have been sentenced to life imprisonment as a result of the attack on the US Capitol building by his political supporters on January 6, 2021, based on Trump's incitement. His action could be interpreted as a treasonable offence, but it wasn't treated as such to maintain national order. Kanu's sentencing poses a question to national unity and stability. It was highly insensitive to have sentenced Kanu. I hope the Court of Appeal upturns the conviction and sets him free. I also wish the issues of the national question were politically and diplomatically resolved once and for all."
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Source: Legit.ng
