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• Group petitions ICJ over Henry Okah

Group petitions ICJ over Henry Okah

FROM NWADIKE UGOCHUKWU; Port Harcourt

A group known as the Ijaw National Council (INC), Europe branch has dragged the Federal Government to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) seeking an advisory opinion on the government's inability to release their leader, Mr. Henry Okah in line with Article 96(2) of the Charter of the United Nations.

The petition addressed to the Registrar of the ICJ, Mr. Phillippe Couvreur, signed by the President and Secretary of the INE in Europe, Dr. Felix Tuodolo and Justice Livingstone, stated that the engagement between the court and the Nigerian Government as well as the mandate of the Ijaw people will help in the peace process in the region.
The group, however, said that it wanted the Court to determine “whether or not a secret trial of allegedly unfounded allegations of such magnitude coupled with the fact that an alleged criminal is inaccessible to an independent and public hearing or counsel in defence of a proposed death penalty in a criminal case would not render a fair trial impossible, contrary to provisions of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948) and the International Declaration of Human Rights (1948) and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, (1966).

They argued that the position of the Nigerian Government on the Okah case, contravenes the international principles for conducting criminal trials as stipulated in the International Covenant on civil and political Rights (1966) and Article 10 of the Universal declaration of Human Rights (1948).

It would be recalled that Henry Okah, a perceived leader of Movement for the Emancipation of Niger Delta (MEND) who was agitating for the protection of rights of the people of the Niger Delta Region, was arrested by the Angolan Government in 2007 on alleged charges of gun-running. Collaborating with the group Mr. Tony Uranta blamed the Federal Government over Okah's deteriorating health stressing that, if Federal Government refused to release him, there would be no peace in the Niger Delta.

The allegation levelled against the MEND leader by the Angola Government according to Uranta was false and barbaric. Mr. Tony Uranta who is a social crusader and human rights activist was a foremost member of the National Democratic Coalition (NADECO) a body which fought for the enthronement of democratic dispensation in Nigeria. He was detained several times during the military regime of Late General Sani Abacha and has continued to maintain his stand against injustice against the Niger Delta Region.

He was of the opinion that the only solution to address numerous environmental problem currently facing the Niger Delta people is to go back to true Federalism which has been canvassed by Niger Delta Freedom Fighters.