Nigerian Bar Associations first Vice-President, John Aikpokpo-Martins has stated that Nigerias Constitution allows the crushing of secessionists.
Aikpokpo-Martins, who disclosed this in a post on his Facebook page at the weekend, said any elected President of Nigeria is constitutionally bound to crush secessionists like and Sunday Adeyemo (aka Sunday Igboho) and Nnamdi Kanu.
He noted that Nigerian law prohibits self-determination agitations, noting that they are simply unconstitutional.
The Legal Practitioner while stating that Chapter 4 (fundamental human rights guaranteed provisions) of the 1999 Constitution does not include the right to expressions that seek to divide the country, faulted secessionists claim that agitation for self-determination is a fundamental right.
Aikpokpo-Martins began his post by differentiating between the agitations of a former Niger Delta militant leader as led by Tompolo, and that by Boko Haram, the Independent People of Biafra (IPOB), and Igboho, on the other.
Aikpokpo-Martins in defense of the governments actions said it was strictly based on the law.
The legal practitioner said Buhari took an oath to defend the constitution, so how can a President who swore to defend the constitution, which contained a clause providing for the indivisibility of the country turn around to condone agitations for self-determination whether by peaceful and or violent agitations, when such agitations are directed at the core of the validity/legitimacy of the constitution he swore to defend?
He noted that such agitations are: simply unconstitutional and the President is constitutionally bound to crush same.
Aikpokpo-Martins asserted that Chapter 4 (fundamental human rights guaranteed provisions) of the constitution that many rely on to defend protests, agitations, and rallies to demand a division of Nigeria into different countries did not guarantee such expressions when such expressions or assemblages are directed at the validity and/or legitimacy of the constitution itself, i.e seeking a divisible Nigeria”.
