John Tsoho, justice of the federal high court, Abuja, on Friday, denied
Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and
director of Radio Biafra, bail. The judge ruled that Kanu was a threat
to national security, and as a result would not be granted bail. He held
that if released Kanu might commit the same offence again, and that
there was a probability that he might jump bail because he possessed
dual citizenship. He therefore ruled that Kanu be remanded in prison
custody, and ordered an accelerated hearing of the case. Tsoho had fixed
Friday for ruling on Kanu’s bail application which was argued on
Monday. Arguing for Kanu’s release, Nnoruka Udechukwu, senior advocate
of Nigeria (SAN), urged the court to release him, stating that the
offence he was alleged to have committed was a bailable one. Udechukwu
argued that the Criminal Justice Act, 2015, stipulated bail for anyone
not accused of a capital offence.
He said that the offence of
which Kanu was accused was a “civil rights” issue, adding that the right
to agitate is guaranteed in a democracy. “The right to agitate is
inherent in a democracy. People must not be denied of their rights to
protest by way of being kept in custody,” he said. “If national security
was a ground to throw people into detention the Criminal Justice Act
would have said so.” Making his own submission, Mohammed Diri, counsel
to the federal government, said he was “seriously opposed to this
application.”
He argued that the application did not fulfil
certain conditions spelt out in section 162 of the Criminal Justice Act,
2015. Diri said that Kanu might jump bail if released because according
to his statement to the Department of State Services (DSS) he is a
British citizen. “He sneaked into this country. He didn’t enter the
country the proper way. He may sneak out,” he said. “I urge this court
to refuse this application and order for accelerated hearing.” Kanu
alongside Benjamin Madubugwu and David Nwawuisi is facing a six-count
charge of treasonable felony. Count one of the charges reads:
“That you, Nnamdi Kanu and other unknown persons now at large in London,
United Kingdom, between the year 2014 and September 2015, with
intention to levy war against Nigeria in order tto force the president
to change his measures of being the president of the federation, head of
state and commander-in-chief of the armed forces of the federation as
defined in section 3 of the constitution of the federal republic of
Nigeria 1999 (as amended) by doing an act wit: Broadcast on Radio Biafra
monitored by NBC for your preparations for the states in the southeast
geo-political zone, south-south geo-political zone, the Igala community
of Kogi and Idoma to secede from the federal republic of Nigeria and
form themselves into a republic of Biafra, and thereby committed an
offence punishable under section 41 (C) of the criminal code act, CAP
C38 laws of the federation of Nigeria, 2004.” On December 23, 2015, he
had refused to take his plea before Ahmed Mohammed, justice of the
federal high court, Abuja, citing lack of confidence in the court.
This
was after Adeniyi Ademola, another justice of the federal high court,
Abuja, ordered the DSS to release him unconditionally, and after a chief
magistrate court discharged and acquitted him of charges of criminal
intimidation and management of an unlawful society.
Meanwhile,
there was mild drama at the court over legal representation for Kanu.
Kanu had written a letter to the judge, stating that his lawyers were
only Chuks Muoma(SAN) and Ifeanyi Ejiofor, excluding Udechukwu, who
argued his bail application, and Vincent Obetta, the counsel, who had
represented him since the beginning of his trial at the chief magistrate
court, Wuse zone 2, Abuja. In protest, Udechukwu announced that he was
standing down, and asked the court to strike out his name as Kanu’s
counsel.
But Muoma, in order not to stall the ruling, asked
Justice Tsoho to rule on the defendant’s bail application even though
Udechukwu, who argued it had pulled out. The judge thereafter delivered
the ruling refusing Kanu bail.
NL
Friday, 29 January 2016
Happy new year to you all . Bienvenidos al 2016!
We are back & better ! We at 9jakopas are ready for the new year 2016. Sorry we've been out of here for logistic reasons. We promise to serve you big and better in 2016. Welcome to the new year 2016. God bless you all real big.
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