Federal High Court Grants IPOB Leader, Nnamdi Kanu, Bail

Federal High Court Grants IPOB Leader, Nnamdi Kanu, Bail

A Federal High Court in Abuja on Tuesday granted bail to the leader of Indigenous People of Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu, on health grounds.

Justice Binta Nyako, however, barred the IPOB leader from granting press interview while on bail.

The judge also gave a stern warning to the defendant not to participate in any rally or be found in a crowd of more than 10 persons in the course of the bail.

Justice Nyako ordered that she must be given a monthly report on the defendant’s health status.

She, however, refused the separate bail applications filed by the IPOB leader’s co-defendants.

The accused persons charged along with Kanu and who were denied bail by the judge were the National Coordinator of IPOB, Mr. Chidiebere Onwudiwe; an IPOB member, Benjamin Madubugwu; and a former Field Maintenance Engineer seconded to the MTN, David Nwawuisi.

After the judge struck out six out of the 11 counts preferred against the defendants on March 1, 2017, the defendants were left with five charges including conspiracy to commit treasonable felony by allegedly conspiring among themselves to broadcast on Radio Biafra, agitating for the secession of Republic of Biafra from Nigeria.

They were also accused of treasonable felony, improper importation of goods, illegal possession of firearms and publication of defamatory matter by allegedly referring to the then ‘Maj.-Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (retd.) and now President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as ‘a paedophile, a terrorist, an idiot, and an embodiment of evil’ in a broadcast on Radio Biafra on April 28, 2015.

Kanu, who had been in detention since 2015, was granted bail on Tuesday following the application filed by his lawyer, Ifeanyi Ejiofor, after part of the charges filed against them were struck out by the court.

Justice Nyako noted that she had observed that Kanu was always sitting down in the dock whenever he appeared in court, a development which she said could be an indication that he could be suffering from an ailment that could not be treated in prison.

She, therefore, granted bail in the sum of N100m with three sureties in like sum.

The judge ordered that one of the sureties to be provided by the defendant must be a highly placed person such as a senator.

She directed that the other must be a highly recognised leader in the religion being practised by Kanu.

When asked by the judge the kind of religion he practised, Kanu said he was practising Judaism.

Meanwhile, Governor Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti State and a former Aviation Minister, Osita Chidoka, were at the Federal High Court in Abuja to solidarise with Kanu on Tuesday.

Fayose was already seated in the courtroom for over 30 minutes before Kanu and his co-accused were produced in court by prison officials at about 10.05am on Tuesday.

The governor was decked in red attire with a red cap typical of Igbo culture.

When Kanu arrived in the courtroom, his attention was drawn by his lawyers to Fayose who was said to be waiting for him.

Fayose stood up and had a hug with the Biafra nation agitator.

After some minutes the governor crossed over the aisle to take a seat beside Kanu.

They had a brief chat before Fayose returned to his original seat.

The governor remained in court throughout the proceedings.

Kanu’s lawyer, Mr. Ifeanyi Ejiofor, said his client would meet the bail conditions within 48 hours.

“As a leader of nation, the bail conditions are not too strigent for him. I can assure you that within 48 hours he will meet the bail conditions. People are ready to sign on his behalf,” the lawyer said.

Meanwhile, the apex socio-political organisation of the Igbo, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, has condemned Nnamdi Kanu’s bail conditions.

President General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Chief Nnia Nwodo, described the conditions as ‘unfair’ and ‘unconstitutional’.

Speaking with our correspondent on the telephone, Nwodo said, “The bail conditions are very, very unfair and I wonder whether they can stand in law because they violate his (Kanu’s) fundamental human rights.

“The conditions that he should not be in a gathering where there are more than 10 people and that he should not grant interviews violate

his freedom of association and freedom of speech.

“The courts cannot impose bail conditions which are unconstitutional.

“All the same, we pray that the prison authorities release him because he has been granted bail in the past.

“Even as we celebrate that he has been granted a bail, we still ask what they are trying him for because he did nothing wrong. He should not even

be in court in the first place.

“Boko Haram members are walking freely all over the place.”

Kanu’s lawyer, Mr. Ifeanyi Ejiofor, said his client would meet the bail conditions within 48 hours.

“As a leader of a nation, the bail conditions are not too stringent for him. I can assure you that within 48 hours he will meet the bail conditions. People are ready to sign on his behalf,” the lawyer said.