A Federal High Court, Abuja, on Wednesday dismissed the bail application by the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu.
Ruling on the application, the trial Judge, Justice Binta Nyako, held that since Kanu was earlier granted bail in 2017 and jumped the bail, the court would first determine his reason for jumping the bail before applying for another one.
She held that it would be premature to grant the bail application when the manner the defendant breached the first bail conditions had not been determined.
“However, the defendant is at liberty to refile the application,” Justice Nyako declared.
In her observation, Justice Nyako noted that Kanu’s trial had suffered various setbacks since 2015 as a result of over 19 interlocutory applications that have been filed in the matter.
The Court also struck out the amended six-count treasonable felony charge preferred on Kanu by the Federal Government. The withdrawal of the charges followed a protest by Kanu’s team of lawyers led by Chief Mike Ozekhome, SAN, who accused the government of deliberately frustrating the speedy determination of the case.
“My lord, in one of the attachments, pictures of lawyers waiting to have a meeting with the defendant at the DSS facility, were snapped with a secret camera and displayed.
“Names of his lawyers- Ifeanyi Ejiofor and Maxwell Opara- were also mentioned. They have brought new issues and even changed the wording of the charge. The fact that the court sustained only seven counts in the previous charge and they have now reduced it to six counts, means that the charge has already been altered”, Ozekhome submitted.
Ozekhome had told the Court that the new charges were served on him only 48 hours before the court hearing.
