By Princess-Ekwi Ajide Abuja
The Federal Government, FG, has ammended the 15 count charges against the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, Nnamdi Kanu and is set to re-arraign him on an amended six-count treasonable felony charge.
The amendment which came on a day trial Justice Binta Nyako fixed to hear an application Kanu had filed to be released on bail, pending the determination of the charges against him also listed some lawyers representing the embattled IPOB leader, including Mr. Ifeanyi Ejiofor and Mr. Maxwell Opara, as accomplices of the defendant.
A member of Kanu’s legal who spoke to journalists in anonymity, said FG, had alleged that the said lawyers, were constantly in contact with Kanu, after he jumped bail and fled the country.
Trial Justice Binta Nyako had in the last hearing on April 8, struck out eight out of the 15-count treasonable felony charge FG preferred against Kanu saying that the charges were mere repetitions that did not disclose any offence that could be sustained by the proof of evidence before the court.
FG had in the counts that were struck out, alleged that Kanu had through his broadcasts, incited members of the public to not only stage a violent revolution, but to attack police officers and destroy public facilities especially in Lagos State.
The ruling was in response to Kanu’s application praying the court to quash the entire charges against him, which he insisted were manifestly incompetent and legally defective.
The IPOB leader, had through his team of lawyers led by Mike Ozekhome (SAN), argued that the court lacked the jurisdiction to try him on the strenght of an incompetent charge.
Ozekhome (SAN), told the court that his client was “unlawfully, brutally and extraordinarily renditioned from Kenya without his consent”.
He argued that since some of the allegations FG levelled against Kanu, were purportedly committed outside the country, the high court, therefore, lacked the jurisdiction to entertain the charge and therefore, urged the court to dismiss the charge, as well discharge and acquit the defendant.
FG’s lawyer, Mr. Shuaibu Labaran, on his part, opposed the application and urged the court to allow the prosecution open its case.
He argued that Kanu’s application would touch the substance of the case that is yet to be heard as the position presently is that the IPOB is a proscribed organization which was duly proscribed through the due process of law.
He argued that Section 32 of the Terrorism Prevention Act imbued the court with the requisite jurisdiction to handle the trial.
While Ozekhome, maintained that the amended charge contained bailable offences, FG’s lawyer, Labaran, argued that the defendant betrayed the previous discretion the court exercised in his favour when he jumped bail and escaped from the country.
The court however, refused to grant him bail as it disagreed with the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, that he only fled the country when a retinue of soldiers invaded his country home.
