The National Security Council (NSC), presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari, has stated that the Federal Government it is considering its next step in the matter involving the leader of proscribed Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB), Mazi Nnamdi Kanu.
The the Minister of Police Affairs Maigari Dingyadi, in conjunction with the Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola, and the Chief of Defense Staff, General Lucky Irabor, made the disclosure while addressing State House Correspondents after the Council meeting on Friday.
It could be recalled that the Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja, on Thursday, thrashed the case of terrorism leveled against Nnamdi Kanu.
The appellate court discharged Kanu from the charges proffered against him by Federal Government prosecutors.
Reacting to the judgement, however, the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, said Kanu had not been acquitted as there are other cases against him.
Speaking after the meeting in a similar vein, the National Security Council, said the government will not immediately be released from detention as he still has a case to answer.
Dingyadi said Kanu’s fate would be decided in coming days, adding that he has not been acquitted, though discharged of some issues in the cases against him.
He said, amongst other things:
“The issue of Kanu has also been raised and Council was briefed on the state of things on the matter and it was observed that Kanu was discharged, but he was not acquitted.
“So, government is considering the appropriate action to be taken on the matter and Nigerians will be notified of the position that will finally be taken on the matter in due course”, Dingyadi added.
According to him, the council only discussed the Appeal Court judgment, adding that solutions to these kind of matters can be considered as long as they are not subjudice.
Meanwhile, the Council has directed the Office of the National Security Adviser (NSA) in conjunction with the Office of the Secretary to Government of the Federation (OSGF), to set up a high-powered investigation committee into the crude oil theft in the Niger Delta with a view to unraveling the extent and those behind it.
Speaking on the subject matter, Aregbesola said:
“On the issue of crude oil theft, the Council has decided that the National Security Adviser should put in place a strong team to investigate all issues relating to the discoveries of either abandoned oil pipelines, or illegal crude oil pipelines, so as to determine, one, the extent of such illegalities and perpetrators of such, and put a report for the Council and the president.
Complementing the Minister, the Chief of Defense Staff stressed that the military will sustain its tempo of fighting oil theft.
“Activities of the Armed Forces and other security agencies within the oil and gas base were also commended, but with the directive to sustain the pressure and it is our resolve to deal decisively with those who have been involved in those illegal acts,” he said
In the meantime, the Council has directed the immediate stoppage of all illegal mining activities across Nigeria.
Speaking on this, Aregbesola said security and intelligence agencies have also been directed to enforce the order.
“All security agencies have been ordered to check illegal mining all over the country. Illegal mining operations and activities in the country are ordered to be stopped and all security and intelligence agencies are to enforce this,” he said. Read more.