₦airaland Forum

Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) 1st Vice President, John Aikpokpo-Martins, Saturday said any President of Nigeria is constitutionally bound to crush secessionists like Nnamdi Kanu and Sunday Adeyemo, alias Sunday Igboho.

Mr Aikpokpo-Martins said under Nigerian law, self-determination agitations are “simply unconstitutional”.

He faulted secessionists’ claim that agitation for self-determination is a fundamental right, noting that Chapter 4 (fundamental human rights guaranteed provisions) of the 1999 Constitution does not include the right to expressions seeking to divide the country.

The NBA official stated this in his personal capacity in a post on his Facebook page titled, STIRRING THE HORNET’S NEST; THE MENS REA.

He began his post by differentiating between the agitations of a former Niger Delta militant leader, Government Ekpemupolo, alias Tompolo on the one hand, and that by Boko Haram, the Independent People of Biafra (IPOB) and Igboho, on the other.

Mr Kanu, the leader of IPOB that is calling for the independence of Biafra from Nigeria, was presented before a federal high court in Abuja last Tuesday, days after his arrest at an undisclosed location abroad.

A team of joint security operatives invaded Mr Igboho’s house in Soka, Ibadan, capital of Oyo State around 1an last Thursday, barely 72 hours to his plan to hold a rally in Lagos to further canvas for the Yoruba nation.

Defending the government’s actions “strictly based on the law”, Aikpokpo-Martins said: “Let it be known that there is a major difference in the agitation of the Niger Delta militants as led by Tompolo etc to the agitations of Boko Haram, IPOB and Sunday Igboho.

“Tompolo never agitated for a different country; this is very very significant and must reflect on how he is treated.

“Whereas Boko Haram, IPOB and Sunday Igboho are agitating to carve different countries out of Nigeria, Tompolo never did that; he is a Nigerian and advocates for justice and equity albeit as a Nigerian and in Nigeria.

“Constitutionally, no President (whether he is a Buhari, Nnamdi, Babatunde, Ahmed, Osahon, Wike, Aper etc) worth his job will treat those agitating for self-determination with kid’s gloves; he is constitutionally and legally mandated and obliged to crush such people.

“You may mouth fundamental human rights to self-determination etc, but the fact is, the Nigerian constitution described Nigeria as one indivisible country; see section 2(1) of the 1999 constitution.”

He explained that Buhari took an oath to defend the constitution, “so how can a President who swore to defend the constitution which contained a clause providing for the indivisibility of the country turn around to condone agitations for self-determination whether by peaceful and or violent agitations, when such agitations are directed at the core of the validity/legitimacy of the constitution he swore to defend?”
According to him, such agitations are “simply unconstitutional and the President is constitutionally bound to crush same.”

He contended further that Chapter 4 (fundamental human rights guaranteed provisions) of the constitution that many rely on to defend protests, agitations and rallies to demand for a division of Nigeria into different countries “did not guarantee such expressions when such expressions or assemblages are directed at the validity and/or legitimacy of the constitution itself ie seeking a divisible Nigeria!

thebosstrevor1:
Gbam.

Tell them now, the AGITATORS will now say one useless piece of paper created by the UN is more important than the constitution of Nigeria.

Section 2(1) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 as Amended states that Nigeria is one indivisible and indissoluble sovereign state. This clearly means that Nigeria is a sovereign state that cannot be split or divided into parts neither can any part of or group of people in Nigeria seced from Nigeria.

Guestlander:
Who wrote the constitution? Did God write it for Nigerians? If the constitution say you can crush people and the people decide to crush you instead what are going to do?
The 1999 constitution is not worth the paper it was written on.

Fahdiga:
Said by a lawyer indeed. Even the roadside mechanic in my village will win a case against this quack lawyer who doesn't understand the fundamental human rights

HONESTFACT101:
constitution also gives Fulani right to rape kill,main and abuse and get a clean slate with entitlements to free education and scholarships

FUCVK that coNSItution^{......signing out✈}

thebosstrevor1:
When you meet God ask him

UstazAhmed:
We all know that Buhari is doing the right thing towards Igboho and MNK. You can't please everyone, so be it. Ride on Buhari. Nigeria must be one

Guestlander:
Who wrote the constitution? Did God write it for Nigerians? If the constitution say you can crush people and the people decide to crush you instead what are going to do?
The 1999 constitution is not worth the paper it was written on.

Guestlander:
Meeting God is not the problem, accounting for your deeds here on earth is.
From the look of things your soul already doomed.

Thinkfree:
the 1999 Constitution does not include the right to expressions seeking to divide the country.

OnionBandit:
They will call you Fulani slave for telling them this fact..

Very senseless generation

When you try to educate them, they will say 30k at work..modafvckers

I think the problem is we have too many bastards roaming the streets. People have been fvcking anyhow and the result is the too many illegitimate children we have in Nigeria right now..No parental upbringing..very disrespectful lots

You want to agitate for something, you will turn a blind eye to your house of reps, senators and all those you have elected to represent you and start blaming the president when things go wrong. Where are ya brains? You want fairness but you are not even fair to your neighbor. Hypocrites

These modafvckers just dey vex me anyhow, Aswearugad

Bastards!