By Uche Amunike
The hearing of the appeal against the remaining seven-count charges filed against the leader of the secessionist group, Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu which was earlier fixed for October 11, has been moved forward to September 13, 2022.
This was revealed by lead counsel for Kanu and IPOB, Ifeanyi Ejiofor, who passed the information through a post on his verified Facebook handle, Wednesday.
The Appeal No: CA/ABJ/CR/625/2022 between Nnamdi Kanu and the Federal Republic of Nigeria is challenging the seven-count charge held against Kanuby Justice Binta Nyako of the Federal High Court, Abuja on May 18, 2022, after reviewing 15 counts.
Ejiofor’s post on Facebook says: ‘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’.
‘Chukwu Okike Abiama is on the throne and shall forever remain on the throne. Your relentless prayers and supplications are positively impacting’.
‘It therefore, means that Onyendu’s appeal challenging the remaining seven-count 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’.
‘Thank you so much Umuchineke for your support so far and remain hugely blessed. We move!’
Recall that Justice Nyako refused to grant Nnamdi Kanu bail on both June 28 and May 18, 2022 that Nnamdi Kanu’s hearings took place at the Federal High Court.
A second bail application was filed by Chief Mike Ozekhome (SAN), requesting that the Federal High Court vacated its earlier order directing that Kanu must be tried in absentia, because of his inability to attend the trial.
On his part, Kanu wanted the court to set aside the order it made on March 28, 2019 which issued a bench warrant for his arrest.
In his submission, Ozekhome stated that the court was misled to grant Nnamdi Kanu bail because the facts on ground confirmed that the IPOB leader fled the country involuntarily.
Justice Nyako, however refused to grant bail to Kanu and ruled that she was not convinced as to the reasons why Kanu breached his previous bail conditions.
As a result, the court insisted that Kanu must offer his explanation for jumping bail before he could be found worthy of enjoying another favourable discretion from the court.
However, while giving her ruling on the fresh bail application on June 28, the trial judge held that the fresh application was an abuse of court process since it had previously been dismissed, adding that it was also an attempt to force the court to litigate an issue that had already been dispensed of.
Justice Binta Nyako however advised Nnamdi Kanu to seek redress at the Appeal Court if he so wished.
Nnamdi Kanu has been charged with treasonable felony by the Nigerian government and is currently facing a seven-count charge relating to it, after the court struck out a total of eight charges.
