Minority Leader of the Senate, Enyinnaya Abaribe, on Wednesday, urged the Federal Government to be cautious and observe strict adherence to the rule of law in handling the arrested leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu.
Kanu was arrested abroad and extradited to Nigeria, on Sunday. He was arraigned at an Abuja court on Tuesday.
But Abaribe, who stood surety for Kanu when he was first arraigned a few years ago, said this in a statement by his Media Adviser, Uchenna Awom, on Wednesday, titled, “Nnamdi Kanu: Abaribe urges respect to fundamental human rights, adherence to rule of law.”
The lawmaker also advised the Federal Government to be guided by the provisions of Section 31 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as amended.
Abaribe added that the government should also consider Article 4 of the African Charter on Human and People’s Rights as it detains and re-arraign Kanu in court for the continuation of his trial.
His statement partly read, “The relevant section and charter presuppose that the detainee should be humanely treated while in the custody of the state.
“What it means is that it is the duty of the government in this instance to protect him and ensure the respect of his fundamental human rights while his trial lasts.
“For now, it is trite law, that he is presumed innocent until proven guilty.”
The lawmaker, however, called for calm, saying that the recent events presented ample opportunity for dialogue and for the Federal Government to address the contending issues that seems to challenge the peace and unity of the country.