Nnamdi Kanu’s Counsel Aims For Bail On Merit In Terrorism Trial On March 19

The principal attorney representing the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, Aloy Ejimakor, has expressed optimism about Kanu’s potential release at the forthcoming court session.

Naija News reports that Justice Binta Nyako of the Federal High Court in Abuja has scheduled March 19 to decide on Kanu’s bail application.

After hearing arguments from Ejimakor advocating for bail for his client, the judge scheduled the date, despite opposition from Adegboyega Awomolo, SAN, counsel for the Federal Government.

Kanu based his request primarily on the premise that he might not be able to mount a robust defence unless granted bail to have unrestricted access to his legal team, citing acute hypertension and acute heart disease, among others.

Meanwhile, the objection from the federal government was grounded in the claim that Kanu had been granted bail before but had absconded and left the country.

Speaking after the court session, Ejimakor said, “We hope that Nnamdi Kanu will make bail on the high merits of his application.”

Kanu, initially apprehended by security forces in Lagos on October 14, 2015, has been in detention since his re-arrest on June 29, 2021, following an extraordinary rendition from Kenya.

Despite being granted bail on health grounds by Justice Nyako in April 2017, Kanu fled Nigeria after a military raid on his residence in Umuahia, Abia State, leading to fatalities among his followers.

The pro-Biafra advocate’s legal journey saw a significant turn when the Abuja Division of the Court of Appeal ordered his release on October 13, 2022, citing a breach of legal procedures in his forceful extradition.

However, the Federal Government’s dissatisfaction with this ruling led to an appeal to the Supreme Court, which, on December 15, 2023, overturned the appellate court’s decision, allowing the trial to proceed.