Eminent businessmen and former governor of Abia State, Dr. Orji Uzor Kalu has been flayed by Ifeanyi Ejiofor, head of the legal team of the leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), over his statement on the whereabouts of the embattled separatist agitator, Nnamdi Kanu.
Ejiofor accused Kalu of capitalising on the travail of the embattled IPOB leader to curry favour from the Federal Government.
The whereabouts of the IPOB leader had been shrouded in mystery and steeped in controversy since the alleged invasion of his family home near Umuahia by troops of the Nigerian Army, last month.
He was last seen on September 14 when clashes occurred between members of his group and soldiers on an army exercise “Operation Python Dance” in Abia State.
While IPOB members have consistently claimed that their leader was being held by the military, the army have denied holding him.
But Kalu, in an interview with a national daily and published on Sunday was emphatic that Kanu was not arrested by the military.
“Kanu was not taken away by the military. Kanu went to Malaysia from where he travelled to the United Kingdom. Nnamdi Kanu is in London right now as we speak. He was not arrested by anybody. He left the country on his own.
“One of his relations has spoken to me and explained everything because I wanted to see him and talk to him wherever he was and see how I could meet some Federal Government officials on his issue.
“I also wanted to see ways of talking to the President about him, and find common ground but his family told me that he has left the country, unless they are lying to me.
“I believe, whether he had left the country or not, he is not with the military because I asked the Commander of the 14 Brigade, Brig. Gen. A. K. Ibrahim, who is a very fine and good soldier, well educated and dedicated, and he told me that they don’t know his whereabouts and I am sure, the Department of State Services has the same information.”
But in a swift reaction, Ejiofor, said in a statement released on Sunday that the former governor had turned himself to the spokesperson for the Federal Government and the military as part of his strategies to get freed from his ongoing trial on corruption charges.
“Orji Uzor Kalu is a drowning man, looking for where to perch. He has since outlived his usefulness in Igboland. What do you expect from a man who is enjoying a temporary freedom and struggling to get his head out of grievous corruption charges hanging on his neck?
“He saw Nnamdi Kanu’s travail as an opportunity to seek relevance from the prosecuting authorities.
“At some time, he attempted deceiving the state into believing that he had the magic wand to Nnamdi Kanu’s peaceful agitation.”
In the wake of controversies over Kanu’s whereabouts, the Defence Headquarters last week said it had no knowledge of his whereabouts.
The army had kept a dignified silence over the location of the IPOB boss despite allegations by his lawyer that the army knew his whereabouts or may have been killed.
But Defence spokesperson, John Enenche, told journalists in Abuja last month that neither the military nor any security agency could be held responsible for the missing IPOB leader.
Mr. Enenche, a major general, also denied allegations that the military raided the home of Mr. Kanu in Abia State.
“I watched the operations live. I also got first-hand information from our men on the ground. For the records, Nnamdi Kanu was never taken away by the military.
“The military is doing their routine exercise operation I saw everything, nobody raided Kanu house. I stand to justify it not from the information I got, I was watching it live. I was monitoring it live.”
“Nobody raided his house, nobody went to ‘carry’ him, that must be very clear I saw the militancy, nobody told me,” he said.
Mr. Kanu, who is currently facing trial for alleged treason is due to appear in court on October 17 for the continuation of his trail.
Ejiofor, in an application filed at the Federal High Court, Abuja, has asked the court to compel the army to produce Mr. Kanu in court.
The group is fighting for an independent nation of Biafra and has pitched battles with the Nigerian security operatives in recent months. The government recently tagged them a terrorist outfit after securing a court order.
