The Cost of Injustice: How Nigeria’s Refusal to Free Nnamdi Kanu Exposes a National Moral Decline

Opinion
By Nkem Ossai

′′Minds that seek revenge destroy states, while those that seek reconciliation build nations” …Nelson Mandela

Whenever neighbours remind you that you are cruel in dealing with your own children, you should understand that you have the problem of parenting. The whole world now see the detention of Nnamdi Kanu as an inordinate desire to punish the entire Igbo people. It is difficult to understand why Nigeria and her leaders are not seeing anything good in Nnamdi Kanu and indeed the entire Ndigbo.

Great individuals and nations have been calling on the leaders of Nigeria to let Kanu go because he didn’t commit any offense, besides, his abduction from Kenya to Nigeria is akin to terrorism, but they would hear non of that. Courts of the land have searched through all their books to see if Nnamdi broke any law but in vain. This gives credence to the saying that, “those who the gods want to destroy, he first make mad.”

Here is a man the entire people of the land are calling for his freedom except the Igbo political miserable class, but the rulers keep working on exacting maximum punishment for raising his voice against the apparent marginalization of the Igbo nation. What does this go to show? It is a pure indication that the Igbo man is not free here: that he doesn’t belong here and that the only option left for him is to seek refuge elsewhere..

I am afraid, the age that is honourable is fast disappearing from our country. And I ask, why has Nigeria refused to be civilized? Why are we backward in everything except wickedness and corruption. Says the philosopher, “An unexamined life is not worth living.” And, as voices of moral authority have indicated, if Ndigbo are not wanted in Nigeria, they should be allowed to walk away in peace. Must we always fight?

I learned that laws are made for man and not the other way round. If this is a universal axiom, (I am convinced it is), you went to abduct a man in a place that is outside your political jurisdiction. The whole world are telling you, this is not right and that you broke somebody’s fence while attempting to take the man. You keep insisting that you did the right thing, ignoring all that is fair and throwing all that is right to the dogs just because you have the embrace of the guns. How can a nation be run on this principle?

The contributions of the Igbos to Nigerian state is enormous from cradle to civilization. The Nigerian Independence was driven by the Igbos. I’m talking about our freedom from Britain. Could this be the reason the British do not like the Igbo man? Nnamdi Kanu is said to be a British citizen. Does being a black man and a British citizen mean anything to the British government? If it means anything, why this flagrant conspiracy of silence on the part of the British authorities on a matter of violation of their citizen’s right? Is this their colour of justice when it comes to a person of colour?

Late governor of Imo State, Dr. Sam Mbakwe once told Buhari when he was arrested by Buhari government after Buhari’s take over of government by force in 1983: “today it is you, you can do whatever you like to me. Tomorrow, when I take over, I will do whatever I like to you.

It is alleged that the judge handling the case of Nnamdi Kanu has washed his hands off his case. According to the story making the rounds, for fear of the repercussions from the international jurisprudence community. Does this not amount to dragging Nigeria’s name to the mud before the global leadership? Is this not a monumental shame?

“The true measure of a society is how it treats its most vulnerable members, including those who are detained and seeking justice.” – Barack Obama