The family of the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, have explained why their son demanded that Justice Binta Nyako who presided over his case steps down.

According to the family, the refusal of the Presiding Judge to comply with the orders of the Supreme Court concerning the IPOB Leader is the reason Kanu requested her stepping aside.

The family said that the apex court had faulted Nyako for revoking Kanu’s bail, wondering why she failed to restore the bail after the Supreme Court’s order.

Kanu’s family while reacting to the decision of the Presiding Judge to hands off the case, accused her of bias against their son.

Prince Emmanuel Kanu who spoke for the family said the Judge’s final decision to recuse herself from the case was a step in the right direction.

The family which said they had also lost confidence in the Presiding Judge expressed hope that the next judge to be assigned the matter would comply with the earlier judgment of the Supreme Court.

“The reason Nnamdi Kanu requested the Presiding Judge to step down was because she refused to comply with the orders of the Supreme Court.

“As far as we are concerned, she was not willing or prepared to comply with any of the orders of the apex court. We also lost confidence in her because she was biased against our son.”

According to the family, Kanu should not be standing trial in Nigeria because his extraordinary rendition was a violation of the law itself, hence, the federal government has lost the rights to prosecute him.

The family maintained that Kanu was abducted in Kenya and renditioned to Nigeria against every known protocol and international law.

Former Governor of Abia State, Sen. Orji Uzor Kalu, has called on President Bola Tinubu to quicken steps in bringing succour to Nigerians amidst the current biting economic hardship.

Kalu, who sits on the Abia-North Senatorial District seat at the Senate, spoke at the National Assembly in Abuja on Tuesday, noting that much as the President was making honest reforms to address the challenges Nigeria currently faced, the hardship in the land was also real.

He noted that the President was “courageous” to have introduced reforms, the types never seen in the last 60 years.

Speaking to journalists, Kalu, a member of the All Progressives Congress (APC), said, “We feel that the reforms going on now have not happened in the last 60 years, no president had the courage to do what President Tinubu is doing now. It is about courage. The man is very courageous.

“Possibly if I’m president, what he is doing now to reform the economy, I won’t do it, I might come slowly.

“Even in my village, everywhere I go, companies, everybody, there is hardship, but I appeal to the federal government, the President, to know how he can bring succour quickly to the people of Nigeria. He has to do something not yesterday, but today.

“He must do something like yesterday because the condition of the Nigerian people is not too good. I believe that no president in the world elected by people would want his people to suffer.”

Specifically on the controversial removal of fuel subsidy, the former said it was an issue could meet with members of his economic team and study it.

“I’m not in the economic team, I have not seen the president or anyone to ask but this is what (return of subsidy) the president has to sit with his economic team to discuss.

“But, the decisions he has taken are what no president in the 60 years of the republic, no president has been able to take, ” he added.

Kalu, who claimed that he had cut down on personal expenses as a result of the hardship, said he also resolved not to fly private jets for now.

He explained, “The hardship is true, people are suffering. We have hundreds of thousands of workers, we have about 10,000 workers in our group that we run.

“We need to pay those salaries. If I fly at any time, buying fuel and maintaining the private plane takes almost $10,000, $20,000.

“I called our senior members in the group and said when I have to make my own sacrifices it is not for the federal government, it is for the good of the company.

“So I said fly no more, fly commercial and save the money for restructuring our workers both in Nigeria and West Africa so that everybody must feed in this time of hardship. “

On the outcome of the just-concluded Edo State governorship election, which was won by the APC’s candidate, Sen. Monday Okpebholo, the lawmaker argued that the best contestant and party won.

He said, “The national chairman, the national secretary, and the members of the NWC, and including the senators, have worked so hard for Edo and I believe that whoever works hard for an election deserves to win.

“The election is about numbers, when you have the numbers on the ground, you win. When you don’t have the numbers, you don’t win. INEC has declared the winner and they (Okpebholo and APC) deserve the win.”

Kalu dismissed rumours that circulated recently that he died, saying that he merely took a private time to study some courses.

“Listen, there was nothing wrong with me. I took permission from the senate president about seven days before the senate closed. I went for a little study in one of the universities that I paid for myself, not that anyone paid for me. I went to do some courses for two months; so I used the holiday period to do courses on democracy and the economy.

“I did not die. I didn’t go for any medical check up, but if people say I have died, we give thanks to God”, he told reporters.

The Chief of Army Staff, Gen. Taoreed Lagbaja, yesterday, said it is unrealistic for two million security personnel to protect a population of over 200 million Nigerians.

Gen. Lagbaja made this remark during the 2024 distinguished personality lecture in Ilorin, Kwara State.

The COAS, who was represented by the Chief of Army Training, Sanni Mohammed highlighted the military’s heavy reliance on imported defence equipment due to the country’s weak industrial base.

The army chief also expressed concerns over the inadequate funding of the Armed Forces of Nigeria, AFN, which he said significantly affected the military’s operational performance.

He said: “In a country of over 200 million people, it is unrealistic to expect security agencies, totalling around two million, including an army of just over 100,000 active personnel without a reserve force, to secure the entire population.

“We import over 90 per cent of our military needs,” he said, noting that despite some local production efforts, the country’s dependence on foreign military supplies remains overwhelming.
“The pursuit of national development alongside national security is a costly endeavour, as defence policy is capital-intensive.

“In 2023, the entire AFN had a budget of about $2.8 billion, with an additional supplementary budget of around one billion dollars. However, not all budgetary allocations were fully released.
“Although funding for the AFN has been improving annually since 2017, the country’s economic downturn has eroded the actual value of what is released.

“The lack of funding affects the AFN’s equipment holdings, which directly impacts performance.”
Addressing the security personnel gap, Lagbaja said: “The considerable resource gap is being exploited by criminal elements. Addressing this requires investment in expanding and strengthening security forces, ensuring adequate personnel and resources.

“National security requires all citizens to be part of the security framework, fostering vigilance, trust, and community engagement. This will create a more resilient citizenry, better equipped to respond to national emergencies.”

In his remarks, Vice Chancellor of the University of Ilorin, Professor Wahab Egbewole stressed the importance of peace and security for sustainable development.

The event, organised by the Centre for Peace and Strategic Studies at the University of Ilorin, in collaboration with the Martin Luther Agwai International Leadership and Peacekeeping Centre, Jaji, was held as part of activities marking the United Nations International Day of Peace.