Again, court denies IPOB leader, Nnamdi Kanu bail

Justice Binta Nyako of the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has again refused to grant bail to the self-acclaimed leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu on the ground that the application for his bail was a gross abuse of court process.

Kanu had, through his team of lawyers, headed by Chief Mike Ozekhome, in the last hearing of the matter applied for bail pending the determination of the treasonable felony charge the Federal Government preferred against him.

But, Justice Nyako, while ruling on the fresh application on Tuesday, dismissed it for constituting an abuse of the court process and went ahead to advise that if the applicants feel aggrieved they can approach the Court of Appeal, as she was not satisfied with the reason the IPOB leader gave for his failure to appear in court for continuation of his trial.

The trial judge noted that for records of the court, Kanu was represented by his lawyer on the day his bail was revoked, likewise his sureties.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 where-about of the Defendant and even applied to be discharged from the matter.

“Therefore, the Defendant was not denied fair hearing”, she said and 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 process.

Kanu, who is currently facing a seven-count charge, had equally challenged the revocation of the bail the court earlier granted to him in his fresh application, even as the court refused to revoke the warrant of arrest issued against him on March 28, 2019, following his dramatic disappearance from Nigeria to an unknown destination.

Ruling in a motion on notice asking for the revocation of the arrest warrant upon his re-arrest, Justice Binta Nyako held that the motion lacked merit because Kanu had not explained his whereabouts for over two years when he jumped bail.

The Judge dismissed Kanu’s claims that he was denied a fair hearing because the order for his arrest was issued in his absence.

The Court said that Kanu, who jumped bail granted on health grounds cannot turn around to make allegations of lack of fair hearing.

The Judge ruled that the court gave the order because Kanu failed to appear in court after his bail was granted on April 25, 2017, and this followed an application by the prosecution.

The IPOB leader, who was first arrested in October 2015 for demanding the separation of Nigeria from Biafra, was arraigned and granted bail on health grounds.

The court, while admitting him to bail, ordered him to present three sureties, one of whom must be a serving senator, a Jewish religious leader and a highly respected person who must own a landed property in Abuja.

The judge, then, warned him against granting press interviews, holding rallies or being in a gathering of more than 10 persons while on bail.

However, in September 2017, Kanu reportedly went missing and stopped attending court proceedings, while alleging that he decided to flee the country following an invasion of his family residence in Umuahia, Abia by security operatives.

Kanu’s disappearance stalled his trial which he was jointly undergoing along with his co-defendants, a development which made the judge severed his trial from that of his other co-defendants.

Meanwhile, the IPOB leader, in a strong-worded message after the Tuesday proceedings, called on his supporters to remain calm.

In his words, “I want our people to be very calm. I want Biafran land to be calm and very peaceful. We are fighting to defend our people and not to kill them. We are fighting independent, that is why am here. We will continue to do so until we get the victory.

The court adjourned further hearing in the matter till November 14 to await the outcome of Kanu’s appeal presently lodged at the Court of Appeal, Abuja Division.

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Again, Court denies IPOB leader, Nnamdi Kanu bail