Court Strikes out 6 Charges Against IPOB Leader Nnamdi Kanu

Court Strikes out 6 Charges Against IPOB Leader Nnamdi Kanu

A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has dismissed six out of the eleven count charges preferred against the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu as well as three other accused persons.

Trial Justice Binta Nyako dismissed the charges for lack of proof of evidence adduced against the defendants.

According to her, one of charges, count eleven, which held that the defendants are researching on how to make improvised explosive devices, cannot hold water, because there is no proof that they were doing it, Vanguard writes.

She also dismissed the Federal Government’s claims that the accused persons belong to an illegal organization, stating that there was nothing placed before the court to indicate that it is an illegal organisation.

Also, Justice Nyako held that the prosecution did not furnish the court with any proof to suggest that it was illegal for the separatist group to import radio transmission equipment.

She however sustained five other charges against Kanu and three other pro-Biafra agitators, Chidiebere Onwudiwe, Benjamin Madubugwu and David Nwawuisi.

The sustained charges, to which all the defendants entered a fresh plea of not guilty, borders on conspiracy, treasonable felony, publication of defamatory matter and Kanu’s alleged importation of goods contrary and punishable under section 47(2) (a) of the Customs and Excise Management Act, Cap C45, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004

Kanu, who only recently got the backing of Ohaneze Ndigbo and others, has been in detention since 2015.

Full-blown trial of the defendants has been fixed for March 20 and 21.