Media practitioners have been advised to focus on facts rather than propaganda in the terrorism trial of leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu.
Head, Directorate of Legal Affairs, Research and Global Communications of IPOB, Onyedikachi Ifedi, made the call in a statement on Sunday.
He was reacting to arguments canvassed by Kanu’s lead counsel, Chief Kanu Agabi (SAN), at the resumed hearing of the case on Thursday in Abuja.
The lawyer advised against sensational reporting of what he described as propaganda spewed by the federal government’s legal team.
He said journalists should not ignore germane questions raised by Agabi during the proceeding, particularly on the identity of over 170 security officers the government claimed have been killed as a result of Kanu’s broadcasts.
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“Who are the families of these alleged victims? Why have they not testified in court? Which individual has claimed, under oath, that they heard Mazi Kanu and then committed violence as a result of his broadcasts?
“Who issued the unsigned, unauthenticated death certificates the DSS tried to smuggle into evidence?” he asked.
Agabi had in his submission, urged the prosecution to tender the forensic pathologist or investigator linking any death to IPOB or Mazi Kanu.
He submitted that no victims had come forward to testify in court that their loved one was killed due to any violence by Nnamdi Kanu.
Ifedi added that “self-determination is not a crime. No Nigerian law criminalizes calling for Biafra; free speech, even harsh or fiery speech, is not terrorism.
“No evidence links Mazi Kanu’s utterances to violence. No lawful investigation was conducted under the Terrorism Prevention Act.
“Instead, the media gave uncritical oxygen to laughable claims that because Mazi Kanu said the world will stand still, Nigeria must imprison him.
“Since when did hyperbole become terrorism? If so, when will government officials who have made similar or worse threats be charged?”
The lawyer appealed to the media not to give unnecessary oxygen and voice to the narratives aimed at misleading the public.
“We challenge you to report that all five prosecution witnesses were DSS agents. That none of them tendered direct evidence of violence caused by Mazi Kanu. That the evidence they submitted consisted of unsigned, unauthenticated documents.
“That no victim, no investigator, no family member, no forensic expert testified in support of the government’s claims.
“We remind all Nigerians and the international community: well-scripted propaganda cannot replace facts, evidence, or the rule of law.
“The federal government’s case against Mazi Nnamdi Kanu is legally unsustainable, morally bankrupt, and politically vindictive,” the statement added.
