The Abuja Federal High Court on Tuesday dismissed the bail application by the Proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, whose bail application was earlier adjourned from May 18th 2022.
The trial judge, Justice Binta Nyako, while dismissing the bail application described it as an abuse of court process, while holding that the Federal High Court has already ruled on it and cannot entertain it again.
The court held that Mazi Kanu has not given a clear reason why the terms of the earlier bail he was granted by the court were not honored by the IPOB leader and therefore cannot expect to get more favours from the court.
Speaking further, Justice Nyanko said, “In the instant case, I have not been given any, neither have I been given any reason to set aside the order.”
The position of Justice Binta Nyako that it cannot entertain a bell application again was derived on the bases of the fact that Kanu is also accused of jumping the earlier bail. Also, that Kanu`s lawyer was present in court on the day his (Kanu`s) earlier bail was revoked by the court.
This, the court now interpreted to mean was an opportunity for Kanu`s lawyer to have opposed the revocation of the bail instead of a fresh bail application.
Clariform reports that the IPOB leader`s lawyer actually opposed the revocation of Kanu`s bail, before the court went ahead to revoke it, and have explained to the court that Kanu did not jump bail but only escaped attempt on his life by agents of the federal government.
Notwithstanding, the court have held that the new bail application means an attempt for the embattled IPOB leader to continue litigating on a matter the court have already made a pronouncement on.
Justice Nyako who also lamented the delay in the trial of Nnamdi Kanu, thereafter advised the accused to approach the Court of Appeal to challenge the denial of his bail application instead of continuing the application before her.
In a swift reaction a human right`s lawyer and counsel to IPOB, Barr Williams Ukonu, who spoke to Clariform following this development has lambasted the federal government for making real President Buhari`s threat not to release the IPOB leader.
He said that the decision of the Federal High Court was not a surprise to him, while noting that Kanu`s continued detention or release is a policy of government and not a function of law as long as President Buhari remains in power.
Speaking further he said, “I could not have been surprised with what Justice Binta Nyako did today. It was long expected, even though some of my colleagues have tried to sell hope to our people”
“The idea of keeping hope alive is good. I support it, but we should not be oblivious of the resolve of this Buhari regime. It is their policy. It is state policy. What has happened in court is the product of Buhari`s grand plan. The law has nothing to do with it”, he added.
The court also said that the reason Nnamdi Kanu provided as to why he ran away from the country and was unable to attend his trial is still not clear to the Fedral High Court.
Justine Nyanko further lamented on the repeated adjournments on case. She counted up to 15 adjournments since July 2017 when the IPOB leader was granted the bail that was revoked following his inability to attend trials after he left the country.
The court adjourned further hearing on the matter to 14th of November for mention, as they await the outcome of any appeal to the Court of Appeal challenging the denial of his bail application at the trial court.
Clariform reminds our readers that in a chart between President Muhammadu Buhari and the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, the Nigerian leader assured the British Prime Minister that Mazi Nnamdi Kanu was getting free trial in Nigeria.
He however, also told the “British Prime Minister that our MNK will not be released from detention. Essentially President Buhari already ruled out the possibility of bail even before Friday`s decision of the Federal High Court. This is simply a script from Abuja, it was expected”, said Barr Ukonu.
