By Deborah Hassan
365Daily – A bail application filed at the Federal High Court, Abuja, seeking to grant bail to the leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, had been rejected.
Presiding judge, Justice Binta Nyako, dismissed the application in a ruling on Wednesday, May 18, 2022.
She held that Kanu had earlier jumped bail when he was granted one in 2017, adding that the court must first determine the reason why he jumped the bail earlier before he can apply for another one.
On April 8, the court exonerated the Federal Government on the allegation that the leader of the IPOB was forcefully abducted abroad and brought to Nigeria to stand trial on charges against him by the same government.
Nyako, in a ruling, declared that rendition for the purpose of criminal investigation is allowed, and since Kanu was on bench warrant, the law allowed that anywhere he is sighted, he can be arrested to face trial.
“Rendition for the purpose of criminal investigation is allowed.
“In the instant case, there is bench warrant on the defendant (Kanu). Suffice to say, he is a fugitive before the court,” she had said.
The judge, who dismissed Kanu’s move to challenge the terrorism charge, upheld seven counts in the fresh charge filed by the federal government against the IPOB leader.
Nyako said that the federal government, through the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF), had been able to established some allegations against Kanu in counts one, two, three, four, five, eight and 15.
“Counts one, two, three, four, five, eight and 15 show some allegations. The court shall proceed to try the defendant (Kanu) on those counts, ” she ruled.
After the review of the 15 counts, she held that about eight of the counts appeared to be similar and did not disclose action.
She, therefore, ordered that counts six, seven, nine, 10, 11, 12 13 and 14 should be struck out.
Nyako also ruled that the order proscribing IPOB as a terror group still subsisted until it was vacated since the issue was still on appeal.
She dismissed the argument of Chief Mike Ozekhome, SAN, counsel for Kanu, that whether IPOB was a terrorist organisation under the Nigerian law or not was still a subject of appeal.
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