The Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami (SAN), came under attacks on Friday after the Federal Government tagged the activities of the embattled leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu, and Yoruba Nation agitator, Sunday Adeyemo, alias Sunday Igboho, as acts of terrorism.
The Federal Government blamed Kanu for the murder of Dr Chike Akunyili, the husband of a former Director-General of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, the late Prof Dora Akunyili.
The government further accused him of being responsible for the murder of a former presidential aide, Ahmad Gulak, and over 184 others in the South-East.
This is according to a committee set up by the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), to investigate Kanu, who is standing trial for treasonable felony.
The 24-member comprised members from the Federal Ministry of Justice, the Federal Ministry of Information, the Nigeria Police Force, the Department of State Services, the National Intelligence Agency and the Defence Intelligence Agency.
The committee, headed by Malami, said consequent upon the instigating directives of Kanu, members of IPOB and the Eastern Security Network carried out massive attacks on democratic institutions, especially facilities of the Independent National Electoral Commission to hamper democratic process in Nigeria.
It said the attacks, carried out between October 2020 and June 2021, led to the killing of 175 security agents.
The report read in part, “Acting on the instigating directives of Nnamdi Kanu, IPOB members and #EndSARS protesters attacked and killed many security agents, destroyed several public and private properties, including police stations, public transport buses and other facilities across the country.
“That on October 21, 2020, Nnamdi Kanu, through an online call-in radio programme (Radio Biafra), further instigated IPOB members to burn down all police stations and kill government security forces, which was carried out and security personnel (especially police officers) were killed and public and private properties destroyed.
“That 175 security personnel were killed by IPOB/ESN, comprising 128 policemen, 37 military personnel and 10 other security operatives. The killing of prominent Nigerians, (recently there were gruesome killings of traditional leaders: Obi 1 of Okwudor autonomous community, Eze E. Anayochukwu Durueburuo and Eze Sampson Osunwa of Ihebineowerre autonomous community as well as the killings of Dr Chike Akunyili and eight others as well as the killing of Alhaji Ahmed Gulak on May 30, 2021).”
The committee said it found that as a consequence of Nnamdi Kanu’s broadcasts, there were 19 attacks on INEC facilities that resulted in the destruction of offices as well as burning of 18 INEC logistical vehicles, several election materials, equipment and ICT gadgets in Abia, Akwa-Ibom, Anambra, Cross River, Enugu, Ebonyi and Imo states.
The presidential committee stated that 164 police stations and formations, including police headquarters, Owerri, Imo State were attacked by IPOB/ESN leading to the death of 128 policemen while 144 were injured and 628 vehicles destroyed.
It said 396 firearms and 17,738 rounds of ammunition were carted away during the IPOB/ESN attacks.
THE PUNCH
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