Justice Binta Nyako
of the Federal High Court,Abuja has turned down bail application for the
leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu and three other
accused
persons.
Ruling on the
application for bail filed by Counsel to Kanu, Ifeanyi Ejiofor, on Thursday,
she held that the offences the defendants — Kanu, Benjamin Nmadubugwu,
Chidiebere Onwudiwe and David Nwawusi — were charged with were not entirely
bailable.
She said the charge
of treasonable felony, which hands on the necks of the defendants, attracts a
life sentence.
Nyako, therefore,
denied them bail on the grounds that their case was sensitive to national security.
On the argument of
Kanu’s counsel that President Muhammadu Buhari made a statement on national TV
tacitly declaring the IPOB leader guilty of the offence, she said: “The
president has freedom of speech; he can express his opinion on any matter.”
Nyako is third judge
to handle Kanu’s trial after two other judges withdrew from the case.
John Tsoho, the
second judge to withdraw from the trial after Ahmed Mohammed, had denied Kanu
bail, remanding him in Kuje prison where he has been for months.
In October 2015, a
magistrate court discharged and acquitted Kanu of all charges of terrorism, but
the Department of States Services (DSS), kept him in detention.
Also, in December
2015, Adeniyi Ademola, justice of the federal high court, granted Kanu unconditional
bail, but the DSS refused to release him.
SUNNEWSONLINE
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