A Federal High Court in Abuja on Tuesday threw away a fresh application for bail by Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra.
Dismissing the bail request, the trial judge, Justice Binta Nyako expressed dissatisfaction with the reason that Kanu gave for his failure to appear in court for the continuation of his trial.
She noted that from records of the court, Kanu was represented by his lawyer on the day his bail was revoked, likewise his sureties.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, he sureties told the court that they did not know the whereabouts of the Defendant and even applied to be discharged from the matter.
While noting that a court could vacate a previous order if given an acceptable reason, reason, she declared that “in the instant case, I have not been given any, neither have I been given any reason to set aside the 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 dissatisfied, he has the Appeal Court to go to. This application is accordingly dismissed”, Justice Nyako declared.
When the application came up for hearing on March 18, the trial judge had also declined to grant the request by Kanu, who jumped bail in 2017.
Kanu was later arrested in Nairobi, Kenya, and brought back to Nigeria to continue his trial for treason.
Justice Nyako had declared that Kanu had to give reasons for breaching the previous bail granted him before he could be given that opportunity again.
“Until the issue of the absence of the defendant for his trial, with all the bail conditions breached, is determined, the instant application of the defendant for bail will at best be premature and it is refused.
“However, the defendant is at liberty to re-file the application”, Justice Nyako said.
She later adjourned the case to November 14 for the mention, to await the outcome of Kanu’s appeal.
Meanwhile, in Nigeria’s Southeast region, IPOB maintained its sit-at-home order on Tuesday because of Kanu’s court appearance. That was in addition to the observance of what has become a weekly affair in the region, with all economic and social activities suspended and everyone ordered to stay indoors on Mondays.
