The Federal Government says the issue of pardoning leader of the outlawed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu is not on the table for now.
Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami SAN made this known on Wednesday night while speaking on Channels TV’s Politics Today.
Kanu currently detained by the Department of State Services (DSS) is facing charges bordering on treason, among other offences.
He is scheduled for an emergency hearing today.
Speaking on the request by some Igbo leaders that President Muhammadu Buhari should release the IPOB leader, Malami said Kanu can only be pardoned after he may have been convicted.
He said, “Pardon is a function of conviction in the Nigerian context and as far as I know, Nnamdi Kanu has not been convicted yet”.
“So, the idea of pardoning him is premature, against the background of the fact that the trial associated with him has not been concluded. But one thing that I can tell you clearly is that he is standing trial and the trial continues as at today”.
IPOB Suspends Sit-at-home As Nnamdi Kanu Appears In Court Today
When asked if he believed that pardoning Kanu will help douse the tension in the country, Malami said:
“I am not ruling out any possibility but that is not immediately on the table. I have not accessed the implication of that in terms of being a solution or a problem.
“As a human and as attorney general of the federation, my reasoning, thinking and thoughts are regulated by the public interests. So, it is the public interest that will guide and influence my decision.
“As to the possibility of accommodating the out of court settlement, one thing I can tell you clearly is that settlement is not right now on the table. it is a bridge that I like enjoy crossing when I get to it.”
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