The Nigerian Government has alleged that the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu is responsible for the murder of Chike Akunyili, the widower of the late Director-General of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Dora Akunyili
Dora Akunyili was also the information minister during the tenure of the late President Umaru Yar’Adua.
The claim was made by a committee set up by President Muhammadu Buhari to investigate Kanu, who is standing trial for terrorism related offences.
The committee is headed by the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, SAN.
The 24 members of the committee were drawn from the Federal Ministry of Justice (MoJ), Federal Ministry of Information (MoI), Nigeria Police Force (NPF), Department of State Services (DSS), National Intelligence Agency (NIA), and Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA).
Chike Akunyili, the widower of the late Prof. Dora Akunyili’s was shot dead by unknown gunmen in September 2021.
The government also accused Kanu of being responsible for the murder of a former Presidential Aide, Ahmad Gulak, and over 177 other cases in the South-East.
The committee said IPOB and its military wing, the Eastern Security Network (ESN), followed Kanu’s directives and carried out massive attacks on democratic institutions, especially facilities of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), intending to hamper the democratic process in Nigeria.
According to the report, the attacks that were carried out between October 2020 and June 2021 led to the killing of 175 security personnel.
The report read in part, “Acting on the instigating directives of Nnamdi Kanu, IPOB members and #EndSARS protesters attacked and killed many security agents, destroyed several public and private properties, including police stations, public transport buses and other facilities across the country.
“That on October 21, 2020, Nnamdi Kanu through an online call-in radio programme (Radio Biafra), further instigated IPOB members to burn down all police stations and kill government security forces, which was carried out, and security personnel (especially police officers) were killed and public and private properties destroyed.
“That 175 security personnel were killed by IPOB/ESN, comprising 128 policemen, 37 military personnel and 10 other security operatives. Killing of prominent Nigerians: Recently there were gruesome killings of traditional leaders: Obi 1 of Okwudor autonomous community, Eze E. AnayochukwuDurueburuo and Eze Sampson Osunwa of Ihebineowerre autonomous community as well as the killings of Dr. Chike Akunyili and eight others as well as the killing of Alhaji Ahmed Gulak on May 30, 2021.”
The committee alleged that Nnamdi Kanu’s broadcasts led to 19 attacks on INEC facilities that resulted in the destruction of offices as well as burning of 18 INEC logistical vehicles, several election materials, equipment and ICT gadgets in Abia, Akwa-Ibom, Anambra, Cross River, Enugu, Ebonyi and Imo states.
The Presidential committee stated that 164 police stations and formations, including police Headquarters, Owerri, Imo State were attacked by IPOB/ESN leading to the death of 128 policemen while 144 were injured and 628 vehicles were destroyed.
It said 396 firearms and 17,738 ammunition were carted away during the IPOB/ESN attacks.
“That there were three IPOB/ESN attacks on Nigerian Correctional Service, including the Headquarters of NCoS, Owerri, Imo State where 1,841 inmates escaped. That the Headquarters of the Nigerian Immigration Service, Umuahia, Abia State was also attacked by IPOB/ESN leading to the death of one officer,” the report read.