…To Head For Higher Court
Director of Radio Biafra and Leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, can now breathe for a while an air of relief as the Federal Government has dropped all charges against him in the Magistrate court where the matter was being prosecuted.
Shuaibu Usman, who presided over the case at the Chief Magistrate Court, Wuse Zone 2, Abuja, on Wednesday, discharged Kanu, on all counts of criminal conspiracy and ownership of an unlawful society brought against him by the Federal Government of Nigeria.
“The accused person is hereby discharged and the case struck out,” Usman said.
However, indications are that the relief for the IPOB leader is only for a while because the government through its agent, the Department of State Services (DSS) has only chosen to withdraw the case at the lower court for a higher court, which has jurisdiction to entertain charges bordering on terrorism.
Kanu’s case would have been decided on 1st December, but Usman had postponed it till 16th December when it was eventually dismissed. .
The IPOB leader has been held by the DSS for at least 90 days despite an order of the magistrate court granting him bail in October. However, DSS got an order of the Federal High court, Abuja, to overrule the bail granted him by the magistrate court.
A counter motion filed by Vincent Obetta, counsel to Kanu, seeking bail for his client is still being considered by the court. Justice Adeniyi Ademola of the Federal High court, Abuja is expected to rule on the bail application on Thursday.
Since 17th October, when Kanu was picked up by the DSS in Lagos, protests led by members of the IPOB, as well as members of the Movement for the Actualization of Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB) have been organized to demand unconditional release for Kanu.
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