Nnamdi Kalu now has an earlier chance to freedom as he has the opportunity to throw out the case of treason brought against him by the federal government, which had previously suffered a setback.
The charge of treason may be completely struck out earlier than previously planned by the IPOB/Kalu`s legal team, Clariform has learnt.
BASIC FACTS
- There is renewed chance by Nnamdi Kanu to throw out the charges brought by the federal government against him.
- The case has now been brought forward from the previously adjourned date for the hearing of Kalu`s application.
- The IPOB leader has been standing trial for treason since he was abducted in Kenya and brought back to Nigeria by the agents of the federal government.
WHAT WE KNOW
Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, the founder and leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) is currently standing trial in Nigeria for treasonable felony against the federal government of Nigeria.
However, Kalu`s legal team led by Barr Ifeanyi Ejiofor and Chief Mike Ozekhome (SAN), have argued the illegality of the charges brought against the IPOB leader, and have successfully got the Federal High Court to strike out eight of the counts.
Having failed to strike out all the 15 charges, the legal team went on appeal seeking for the entire charge of treasonable felony against Nnamdi Kalu to be struck out completely and for the defendant to be set free.
This appeal, which was initially slated for hearing on the 11th day of October, 2022, has now been brought forward to the 13th day of September, 2022, 28 days earlier, according to one of the legal counsels to Kalu, Barr Ifeanyi Ejiofor.
Clariform notes that this development provides Mazi Nnamdi and his legal team an earlier opportunity to strike out the entire case of treason brought by the federal government.
Should the application succeed, that would mean total freedom for the Biafra apologist and freedom fighter, 28 days earlier than the application was initially scheduled for hearing.
NOTABLE QUOTE
In a statement by Barr Ifeanyi and obtained by Clariform, he said, “Our Appeal No: CA/ABJ/CR/ 625/2022; BETWEEN NNAMDI KANU VS FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF NIGERIA, earlier scheduled for Hearing on the 11th Day of October, 2022, has been brought forward to the 13th day of September, 2022.
ChukwuOkike Abiama is on the throne and shall forever remain on the throne.
Your relentless prayers and supplications is positively impacting.
It therefore means that hearing on Onyendu’s Appeal challenging the remaining Seven count Charge filed against him, will now be coming up for Hearing at the Court of Appeal Abuja, next week Tuesday, being the 13th Day of September, 2022”, Barr Ifeanyi said in a statement on Wednesday.
BACKGROUND
The IPOB leader was initially charged with 15 count charge of treasonable felony before an Abuja Federal High Court presided over by Justice Binta Nyanko.
The trial judge, Justice Binta Nyako had on the 8th of April struck out eight out of the initial 15-count charge of treasonable felony that the Nigerian government preferred against the IPOB leader, Nnamdi Kanu.
Precisely, the court struck out counts 6, 7, 9, 10, 11, 12,13 and 14 of the spurious charges as was described by the presiding judge. It however, allowed the remaining counts 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 8 and 15 against Nnamdi Kanu’.
The judge berated the charges holding that most of the charges that were thrown out were mere repetitions and did not in any way disclose any offence known to law. These charges were also held by the court as incapable of any evidential prove before the court.
The IPOB leader`s lawyer, Chief Mike Ozekhome (SAN), made the following argument, while trying to move the court to throw out the entire 15 charges preferred against Nnamdi Kanu:
“The charges appears to give this court a global jurisdiction over offences that were allegedly committed by the Defendant, without specifying the location or date the said offences were committed”.
CATCH-UP
Recall that the Nigerian government had in September 2017 proscribed the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) as a terrorist group.
This was following the groups agitation for a separate State of Biafra for states that were part of the old Eastern region which fought a gruesome 30 months civil war against the Federal government between May 1967 to January 1970.
Dissatisfied with the marginalization of the region, especially the present day South East which is home to many Igbo people of Nigeria, Nnamdi Kanu`s IPOB like other separatists group such as MASSOB (Movement for the Actualization of the Sovereign State of Biafra) led by Raph Uwazurike has renewed agitation for Biafra.
However, it’s Nnamdi Kanu’s IPOB that has drawn the irk of the present Nigerian government more than any separatist group.
The above may not be unconnected with the use of violent words and threat to violence by the IPOB leader and many of the organisations youthful followers who are unsatisfied with the state of affairs in Nigeria.
Kanu was arrested, charged to court for trial but granted bail in April 2017. However, by 2018, he was unable to continue with his trial, a situation his lawyers blamed on the invasion of his country home in Afaraukwu Abia State by the Nigerian military.
The invasion was reported to have led to the death of his parents. Kanu had since then operated from outside the country until his extrajudicial rendition from Kenya.
Clariform reminds our readers of reports about UN Rights group call for the unconventional release of Nnamdi Kanu, who was brought back to Nigeria in an unconventional manner that drew international condemnation for the Nigerian and Kenya government.
The extrajudicial manner employed by the Nigerian government to get back Nnamdi Kanu ran foul of international laws in the extradition of citizens for trial according to the UN body and many other experts who have weighed into the issue.
