By Deborah Hassan
365Daily – Leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, has asked his followers to end the killings in the Southeast, saying their struggle is to defend “Biafra” people and not kill them.
He spoke after he appeared in court on Tuesday, June 28, 2022, for his fresh bail application, which was denied.
Commenting on the denial of his bail application, he said he was not disappointed because he was expecting it to be declined.
However, he warned his followers to be “very calm”.
In a video message, he said: “It is what we were expecting to have but I want our people to be very calm, I want Biafra Land to be calm and peaceful, calm and very, very peaceful.
“We are fighting to defend our people, not to kill them. We are fighting to defend them, that is why I’m here, and we’ll continue to do so, until we get victory.”
Ruling on the bail request earlier, Justice Binta Nyako, said the application for bail was an abuse of court process.
She said she was not satisfied with the reasons the IPOB leader gave for his failure to appear in court for continuation of his trial.
The trial judge noted that from records of the court, Kanu, was represented by his lawyer on the day his bail was revoked, likewise his sureties.
“In fact, his sureties told the court that they did not know the whereabouts of the defendant and even applied to be discharged from the matter.
“Therefore, the defendant was not denied fair hearing,” she said.
Justices Nyako held that though a court could vacate a previous order when confronted with a cogent and verifiable reason, “in the instant case, I have not been given any, neither have I been given any reason to set aside the earlier order.
“The present application amounts to an abuse of court process for attempting to relitigate an issue already decided by the court.
“If the defendant is dissatisfactory, he has the Appeal Court to go to.
“This application is accordingly dismissed,” the judge ruled.
Nyako also adjourned the trial until Nov. 14 for the report of the Court of Appeal decision on the appeal filed by Kanu’s lawyer, Chief Mike Ozekhome, SAN. seeking the order of the court quashing the remaining seven-count charge levelled against his client.