PRESS STATEMENT.04/12/12. IN RE: ORJI UZOR KALU On or about 11am on the 29th of November, 2021, I received a phone call from a rel...
PRESS
STATEMENT.04/12/12.
IN RE: ORJI UZOR KALU
On or about 11am on the 29th of November, 2021, I received a
phone call from a reliable source. The latter informed me that a certain Orji
Uzor Kalu expressed a desire to see my client, Onyendu Mazi Nnamdi Kanu. The
intended visit was ostensibly in further pursuit of the political solution to
the unconditional release of my client. As I had before then resolved not to
constitute myself an impediment to the exploration of any such political
solution, I welcomed the idea. Consequently, I was constrained to substitute
the name of one of the persons already scheduled for the visit for the name of
Orji Uzor Kalu. I then proceeded to submit a fresh list containing the name of
the latter to the relevant authorities on or about 12pm of the aforementioned
date.
When the team of lawyers who were scheduled to visit my
client arrived at the Reception Hall of the of the headquarters of the
Department of State Security, DSS, on or about 1.55pm of the aforementioned
date, they were informed that Orji Uzor Kalu, whose name appeared on the list
at the 11th hour, would not be allowed to see Onyendu Mazi Nnamdi Kanu. The
reason for this decision was clear. As the name of Orji Uzor Kalu was merely
submitted on the day of the intended visit, and not earlier as was the
practice, he could not, without permission and or clearance from superior
authority, be granted access to visit my client in the detention facility of
the DSS. Orji Kalu's hypocritical pretensions was worsened by the fact that he
is a politician(and a wily one at that) and is not related to Onyendu Mazi
Nnamdi Kanu either by affinity or consanguinity.
This position taken by the Detaining Authority did not come as
a surprise. So I thought. Long before the 29th of November, 2021, it
consistently and variously denied certain persons of sundry political
persuasions, and proven elder statesmen,
access to Onyendu Mazi Nnamdi Kanu in DSS custody. A case in point is that
of Dr Chukwuemeka Ezeife, former Governor of Anambra State.
The inclusion of the name of Orji Uzor Kalu at the 11th hour
in the fresh list submitted to the DSS on the day of the intended visit had the
effect of temporarily stultifying the access operatives of the DSS could easily
have afforded the lawyers. So I thought honestly. But there was more to it. The
lawyers were kept waiting till on or about 3.20pm of that day when they were
finally cleared to ingress the detention facility. At first, I thought this
delay to be inexplicable and unreasonable, but, with hindsight, I concluded
that the delay was deliberate. It was occasioned by the fact that Orji Uzor
Kalu had earlier arrived at the DSS facility and had gone to visit Onyendu Mazi
Nnamdi Kanu at the time the lawyers were literally forced to wait for a
pretended reason. I then became convinced that the objection that was taken at
the inclusion of the name of Orji Uzor Kalu at the 11th hour in the list of
persons scheduled for the visit was a ruse, a smokescreen, and a deceptive
ploy, ingeniously but mischievously contrived to hoodwink us. It had that
temporary effect. The pretended reason was designed to keep us waiting while
Orji Uzor Kalu had his interaction with Onyendu. The delay of about two hours was
clearly unjustified. Orji Uzor Kalu, whose name was on the list of visitors
that was submitted and whose name was deceptively objected to by operatives of
the DSS, had earlier arrived the DSS facility and had, in a manner that was
extremely surreptitious, gained access to Onyendu Mazi Nnamdi Kanu in custody!
Lawyers that congregated for the visit stared with open mouths when they gained
access to Onyendu Mazi Nnamdi Kanu and were informed by him that Orji Uzor Kalu
had earlier visited him that day.
I must note that DSS operatives at the Reception Hall were
not let in on the surreptitious access that was granted to Orji Uzor Kalu. They
did not know when the latter arrived at the facility and when he stole in to
see Onyendu. It is for Orji Uzor Kalu to explain honestly how he gained access
to Onyendu. If Orji Kalu did not go through the proper channel, which starts
from the reception, upon the submission of a list containing the names of
already scheduled visitors, how then did he gain access to Onyendu Mazi Nnamdi
Kanu? Why was the extant protocols not followed?
We hereby invite the
relevant authorities of the Department of State Security to investigate
this.
Further, Onyendu Mazi Nnamdi Kanu was not informed before
hand that Orji Uzor Kalu was at the facility to see him. The information that
was given to him, which he conveyed to me, was to the effect that an important
personality was at the facility to see him. The identity of the so-called
important personality was not disclosed to him. This is deceptive and a breach
of the protocol of the DSS.
If the motive for surreptitiously embarking on the visit to
Onyendu is pristine, salutary and genuine, why did Orji Uzor Kalu knowingly
breach the DSS protocol? Why did he steal in to see Onyendu? Why did he not leave
any trace of his identity at the reception hall? If he had no ill motives, why
did he conceal his identity from Onyendu before he had access to him and why
was he aided in the process by a deceptive DSS operative? If Orji Uzor Kalu had
genuine intentions, why was the deliberation at his visit to Onyendu conducted
in the presence of some persons not necessarily supposed to be present at such
visit? Orji Uzor Kalu is hereby challenged to explain to the whole world what
informed the question he asked Onyendu during his visit as to why he did not
stay back at Afaraukwu during the bloody invasion of the homestead of Onyendu
on the 14th of September, 2017?
Further, I must remind the public that 2023 is around the
corner. Desperate politicians, including those of Igbo extraction that have
sworn to be perpetual slaves of some primitive overlords, and who offer their
deceptive heads, containing their lying mouths and tongues, to be turbanned by
their slave masters, are up to sundry devious stunts, schemes, contrivances,
chicanery and duplicitous manoeuvres. They shamelessly and unabashedly seize
every opportunity available to them to advance their political interests. Most
of them have no honour. They mislead the unwary and unsuspecting members of the
public by their hypocritical behaviour and sanctimonious grandstanding. Inside
of them are filth, putrefaction, deception and ungodliness. I make bold to say
that the clandestine visit to Onyendu undertaken by Orji Uzor Kalu is no more
than an empty positioning for political office come 2023. The whole world knows
that Onyendu Mazi Nnamdi Kanu is an infinitely brilliant man and a good student
of history. He has seen through the empty scheme of Orji Uzor Kalu and is not
deceived by it. Onyendu does not trust Orji Uzor Kalu one bit. He has said so
in no uncertain language. In 2017, Orji Uzor Kalu exhibited similar
inclination. He merely wanted to score a cheap political point. But his attempt
failed woefully, and rightly so. Onyendu did not accord him any relevance whatsoever.
This time, he initiated similar pretensions. Again, his shenanigan did not
produce the desired effect.
Orji Uzor Kalu in his outburst alluded to pecuniary interest
in relation to my good self. This is most unfortunate. The truth is that, that
allusion applies squarely, wholly and entirely to him. Every Nigerian of full
age knows the history and circumstances of this man. His record is public
knowledge. Granted that I have made many enemies in the course of my stout,
unrelenting and resolute defence of Onyendu, these enemies are really those who
want me to compromise or dilute my standard but have met a brick wall in their
several attempts. I make bold to say that in the course of the defence of
Onyendu and in all court cases involving members of IPOB, I have remained
resolute, solid as the Rock of Gibraltar, unbending, incorruptible, forthright,
steadfast, devoted and dedicated. I owe
no one, including Orji Uzor Kalu, any apologies whatsoever for remaining defiant
and unrelenting in my defence of Onyendu and members of IPOB. The attempt at
smear campaign by Orji Uzor Kalu is infantile, puerile and laughable. Orji Uzor
Kalu is hereby advised to first embark on genuine introspection before taking
the liberty to cast aspersion on anybody.
Thank you all and remain blessed Umuchineke
Signed:
Ifeanyi Ejiofor, Esq
Lead Counsel to Onyendu Mazi Nnamdi Kanu/IPOB.
4th November, 2021.
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