Rejoinder: Barrister Vincent Egechukwu Obetta was sacked by Nnamdi kanu for incompetence and unprofessionalism - IPOB

Rejoinder: Barrister Vincent Egechukwu Obetta was sacked by Nnamdi kanu for incompetence and unprofessionalism

We read with shock, the lies spewed out by Barrister Vincent Egechukwu Obetta in his interview with Petrus Obi of Sun Newspaper on June 21, 2016. To put the records straight, Barrister Obetta was sacked by the leader of Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu. For working with the DSS to indefinitely detain Nnamdi Kanu, Barrister Obetta was fired by our leader in person when Obetta visited him at Kuje prison. It is on record that you, Obetta, refused to work with other lawyers knowing fully well that this is a major international case requiring the input of more than one person (Obetta) who as it turns out is a lecturer and not actually a practising lawyer.

For the avoidance of doubts, it was Barrister Gab Egbule that secured Nnamdi Kanu’s bail at the Magistrates Court and not Obetta and the records are there to prove it. It is also on record that Barristers Ifeanyi Ejiofor and Gab Egbule prepared the arguments that led to the respected Justice Ademola dismissing the frivolous DSS charge of terrorism and not Barrister Obetta. It must be revealed to the entire world that when unconditional release was ordered by the court, Barrister Obetta refused to file contempt of court charge against the DSS for failing to obey court order. Had Obetta filed this charge against Buhari and his DSS on behalf of our leader, no court would have had the effrontery to continue with the bogus charge of treasonable felony.

It is no secret that Barrister Obetta worked hand-in-hand with the DSS for financial reward to sabotage the genuine efforts of other lawyers working to set Nnamdi Kanu free. It was Obetta that connived with the DSS to advice our leader to reject Justice A. R. Mohammed on the grounds that he is a Hausa-Fulani Muslim when your fellow lawyers advised you that Justice Mohammed is a good man. You, Obetta, knew that the removal of Justice A. R. Mohammed will result in a biased judge like John Tsoho being brought in to handle the case. 

Why did you, Obetta, not stand up in court to reject Justice Mohammed rather than advising your client, Nnamdi Kanu, to do so thereby effectively condemning him in the eyes of Nigerian judges who feel slighted that one of their own was rejected in an open court?

Barrister Obetta, can you tell the world where you got the money with which you bought a house at Trans-Ekulu in Enugu? You, Barrister Vincent Obetta, openly canvassed for political appointment at DSS office as a reward for ensuring that our leader remained behind bars. It is known to everyone that you, Obetta, connived with DSS to continue the illegal detention of our leader at DSS dungeon when he should have been transferred to a prison facility as he is now.

We would like to ask: did you Obetta not advice our leader to discontinue the court case and remain indefinitely in prison? These are the reasons why you were sacked. You did not resign, you were dismissed. Any lawyer in the defence team of our leader who is found to be afraid of the Nigerian Government, DSS or any of her agents will be sacked no matter who you are. The case against our leader is the biggest legal case in the history of Nigeria and we won't let anyone mishandle it.

It is worthy to note that Barrister Obetta met with Igbo politicians without briefing his client. If Obetta resigned, how come he ran away with the case file? Obetta thinks IPOB is an amateurish organisation but he and his DSS handlers are clearly mistaken. Barrister Obetta will still be cited to the relevant legal authorities for gross misconduct. If he is in doubt he should ask Judge John Tsoho who will most definitely be disgraced out of office.

Respectfully yours, 

Mazi Uchenna Asiegbu 

Head, Directorate of States of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB)

Why I pulled out of Nnamdi Kanu’s case -Obetta, counsel to IPOB leader— 21st June 2016

From Petrus Obi, Enugu

Enugu State-born Vincent Egechukwu Obetta is a legal practitioner, a social crusader, and public affairs analyst. The Director of STREETLAW AFRICA INC., a human rights education non-governmental organisation was the counsel to incarcerated leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu.

In this chat Obetta revealed why he abandoned the matter halfway. He also spoke on burning national issues.

From the beginning of Nnamdi Kanu’s trial, you represented him. At what point did you withdraw from the matter?

I withdrew on January 29, 2016 after the court proceeding of that day. It was a withdrawal that is based on principle. The withdrawal was widely publicized in the sense that I addressed the press to the effect that my and I team have withdrawn. Putting up defence for Kanu was one of the toughest criminal trials in my legal career; I was contending with the teeming and impatient members of the IPOB, the Nigeria security apparatus, the surging inquiries from the media, home and abroad, foreign missions as well as the demand of casting good appearance on his behalf.

Shortly after your withdrawal, there was a publication from one of the IPOB Coordinators alleging that you engaged in unprofessional conduct unbecoming of a legal practitioner.

Vincent Obetta

I read it. Initially I felt betrayed, humiliated, furious and cold. I was beclouded by a sense of disillusion –in the sense that it was not worth it to have put in my best in the matter, after all. To me, it was libelous especially to a professional like me. I threatened a reprisal. Thanks to well-meaning Igbo sons and daughters who spoke to me. And when I reviewed the actions/attitude of the so-called coordinators of IPOB, I realized that nobody has ever passed their integrity test. It has become a case study to behold a situation where every well- meaning and reputable Igbo sons or daughters who have a relationship with Nigerians of other tribes is branded a traitor; and once you hold a contrary view, you are branded a bastard. The entire South-East- governors, Ministers from the South-East are thieves, first class traditional rulers and respected Igbo elders are dead woods. When I found out that respected and prominent Igbo like Dr. Okwesilieze Nwodo, chief Debe Ojukwu, Chief Dozie Ikedife etc. have, at one time or the other, been derided and slandered, then I took solace and said to myself who am I? And the answer is to maintain absolute silence in response to that publication.

Do you keep tabs on Nnamdi Kanu’s trial proceedings and how far it has gone so far?

The information about his trial is in the public domain, both on electronic and print media. As to how far it’s gone, I make bold to say that since December 17, 2015 when I secured a landmark ‘unconditional bail’ for him, nothing tangible has been recorded. But like I said earlier, the facts are there for all to see. During our stewardship, we brought professionalism into the matter, advanced our cause without descending into the arena of conflict, secured the sympathy of both local and international press and the support of teeming Nigerians while we called the shot. The sentiment and support the matter received cut across ethnic affiliation. It was indeed an interesting but challenging experience that exposed me a lot.

Be that as it may, I am calling on President Muhammadu Buhari to comply with the order of the Federal High Court by Justice Ademola and release Mazi Nnamdi kanu unconditionally. His continued detention has cast a dent on the President’s avowed claim to be a repented democrat.

What is your assessment of Mr. Presidents’ anti-corruption performance index, one year after?

According to Justice Chukwudifu Oputa:

”Justice is not a one-way traffic. It is not justice for the appellant only. Justice is not even only a two-way traffic. It is really a three-way traffic, justice for the appellant accused of a heinous crime of murder; justice for the victim, the murdered man, the deceased, ‘whose blood is crying to heaven for vengeance’ and finally, justice for the society at large…”

Mr. Presidents’ war against corruption has been skewed against the opposition and dissents. The Nigeria state is a big institution and the fight against graft should be aimed at repositioning Nigeria on the right track. Therefore, no one, no matter how highly placed, party or ethnic leanings, who has skeletons in his cupboard, should be spared. More credibility would have been injected into the system if Mr. President had started the fight from within his party. The politicizing of the anti-corruption war has put an end to the much bandied ‘body language’ mantra of Mr. President. I want to assure you that consequent upon the expiry of the ‘body language’ epilogue, our corrupt leaders have returne to their illicit transactions. There is so much concentration on recovery of loot and trial of immediate past political office holders to the detriment of other sensitive facets of our national life.

We are talking about recession and impending economic doom while the presidency spends whooping N2 billion annually for the maintenance of 10 expensive presidential jets; apart from the presidential fleet, over 20 private jets are owned by private citizens across Nigeria. Yet, most Nigerian workers still go home with N18,000 monthly. You expect them to perform miracles for the next 30 days. We are in a system where corruption fertilizes and hatch like mosquitoes.

What manner of corruption are we fighting while there is a restriction on overseas medical trip but same is flouted by those who should lead by example? What moral justification do we have to parade a man before the media for stealing a goat, and eventually jail him accordingly while we protect (using legal nomenclature such as plea bargain) and share the proceeds in percentage with a thief (looter) whose unilateral condition for refund of some of the looted fund is that his name will not be mentioned or published. Our government claims to spend N10 billion annually on the feeding of prisoners, and the sum of N14,000 daily to feed each prisoner, yet we are voting a paltry N5000 for unemployed indigent citizens. The implication is that life will be better in prisons for the indigents.

I hope we have not forgotten in a hurry the controversial Central Bank of Nigeria job scam, the Budget padding saga, the ‘living-ghost workers’ who have been milking our civil service treasury dry; where are those faceless oil cabal that has put Nigeria in this mess, the Malabu oil scandal etal? Are these not corruption cases. So what corruption fight are we talking about? The truth is, crime is lucrative in Nigeria.

Can you share your thoughts on the state of insecurity in the last one year of this administration?

The situation appears to be getting worse. The reason for this can be gleaned against the backdrop that people are getting more impoverished to the level of criminality. You can see the tide of insecurity moving eastwards. From the North-East to the Middle belt and down to the South-East, lives of thousands of hapless Nigeria citizens have been lost in the hands of the ‘Libyan Fulani herdsmen’. It’s more painful when government posture is defensive of these hoodlums and they appear not proactive in rising to the challenges; it’s also more painful when it is understood that the federal governments’ body language portrays the nefarious actions of these savaged weapon wielding criminals as less harmful than the peaceful and non-violent agitators in the South-East or the harmless religious procession of the Shiites adherents in Zaria.