Nnamdi Kanu not in military custody, says DHQ

The Defence Headquarters (DHQ), yesterday, said the leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, was not in its custody.



According to a statement by its Director of Information, Major General John Enenche, the DHQ insisted that its operations in Aba has nothing to do with the alleged raid on the home of separatist group leader.

“The operations of our men are recorded live, and we can justify that his home was not raided by the military, ” Enenche said.

Speaking at a news conference in Abuja, Enenche explained that the people that came out to attack the military were the Biafra Security Service and the Biafra National Guard, saying that it was not right for them to block the roads and be collecting tolls and intimidating law abiding citizens of the state who were going about their lawful businesses.

On the proscription of IPOB by the Federal Government and South East governors, Enenche noted that the statement he issued two weeks ago did not say “proscription” but a “warning” to parents to warn their children, adding that due process was followed by the government before the group was proscribed as a terrorist organisation by a competent court.

He said: “It is not the responsibility of DHQ to declare Nnamdi Kanu wanted. Nnamdi Kanu is not in the custody of the military.

“Nobody raided Kanu’s home. I was watching it live, was monitoring it and speaking with men on the ground.

” I later confirmed that there was nothing to actually justify them legally to mount roadblocks. I saw the militancy, nobody told me and I saw the actions there. We are still investigating.

“The military did not proscribe IPOB. Due process was followed to proscribe them. The job of the military was to diagnose security issues and warn the public of the consequences and that is part of our media operations.

“We did our media operations very well, otherwise, that weekend would have been the longest weekend in this country and we are also very careful in choosing our words and we know the law very well.”

On whether the military was not alarmed about the militarisation of the country coupled with reservations expressed by the United States of America on the on-going operations of the military across the country, General Enenche said the armed forces of Nigeria was not alarmed by what is being analysed by the US, adding that people see and understand situations in different perspectives. The military sees and understands things in different perspectives too.

“So, it is the military that would tell you the signs and symptoms of a security ailment because it’s only a doctor that can tell you that somebody has cancer or malaria.”

Enenche reaffirmed the unalloyed loyalty of the Armed Forces of Nigeria to the Commander-In-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, President Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR.