The Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, has reacted to the absence of their leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, at the Abuja High Court today.

The group through its Media and Publicity Secretary urged the Department of the State Services, DSS, to grant Kanu’s lawyers and family members access to see him if he is still alive.

Recall that DSS on Monday failed to produce the detained IPOB leader before the Court for the continuation of his trial.

The government lawyer, M. B. Abubakar, blamed Kanu’s absence in court on what he termed as “logistical problems”.

Reacting to the situation, IPOB averred: “We the global family of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) under the command and leadership of our great leader Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, condemn the seek and hide attitude of the Department of State Services, DSS, and its systematic delay and failure to produce our leader Mazi Nnamdi in court today in Abuja. This was a deliberate and wicked plot to inflict further torture on our leader who they have kept incommunicado for some days now. In the past seven days DSS has refused our lawyers and our leader’s family members access to him. This is wickedness!

“We are no longer comfortable with this development. We have enough grounds to suspect foul play. With the failure of DSS to produce our leader in court today without any cogent reason and coupled with the torture meted out to him since his abduction in Kenya, we are worried about the safety of our Leader. The failure of DSS to produce our leader in court today is confirming our fear over the uncertainty concerning his health. Considering his deteriorating health condition since he was kidnapped and the refusal of DSS to grant him access to his personal physicians, it is possible that our Leader may have been killed.

“DSS should prove us wrong by producing our leader in court or granting his lawyers and family members access to him. We are running out of patience. Nigeria should not take IPOB for granted. Our leader must not die in detention.

“We also wish to heartily commend all markets, banks and government agencies, motor parks, transport companies, etc, who showed solidarity to our leader Mazi Nnamdi Kanu without formal announcements from IPOB leadership. We thank all Biafrans and friends of Biafran who in one way or the other solidarised with our leader today.

“We also demand unconditional release of all those arrested today in Abuja and other parts of the country for their solidarity to our leader. Nigeria must release them.”