A Federal High Court in Abuja has set March 19, 2024, as the date for its decision regarding the fresh bail plea submitted by Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB). The court has further allocated March 20 for the recommencement of Kanu’s trial.
This decision came following a session presided over by Justice Binta Nyanko, during which arguments from both parties’ legal representatives were considered.
The trial, which had been previously halted after the Court of Appeal’s acquittal of Kanu in October 2022, resumed on Monday. The Court of Appeal had nullified Kanu’s extradition from Kenya to Nigeria and dismissed all terrorism charges against him. However, the Federal Government appealed this verdict at the Supreme Court.
In a ruling delivered on December 15, 2023, the Supreme Court directed the continuation of Kanu’s trial on terrorism charges, emphasising the absence of any law barring a trial due to procedural irregularities in a suspect’s arrest.
Since his repatriation from Kenya to Nigeria in June 2021, Kanu has been held in detention by the Department of State Services (DSS).
During Monday’s court session, Kanu’s defence counsel, Alloy Ejimakor, informed the court of his client’s bail application and lodged a preliminary objection. Ejimakor pleaded for Kanu’s release on grounds of health and expressed concerns over the impact of his prolonged incarceration on his ability to mount a proper defence.
Further details on the matter are expected to emerge in due course.
