Court gives Abaribe, others 7 days to account for Kanu’s whereabouts
- The court case involving the leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu, is still on
- The court has demanded that Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe and two other sureties, either produce him in court or show cause they should not forfeit their bail bond
- They have 7 days to respond to the court demands
A Federal High Court siting in Abuja has adjourned to Wednesday, February 28, for three sureties to leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, to either produce him in court or show cause why each of them should not forfeit his N100 million bail bond.
The court had at the last proceedings on December 5, 2017, adjourned to Tuesday, February 20, for the sureties to explain why Kanu suddenly stopped attending court and account for his whereabouts.
One of the sureties, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe had filed two applications. One is asking the court to discharge him as surety to Kanu. The other wants the court to inspect Kanu’s house in Abia state, where he was said to have been last seen.
READ ALSO: Abaribe arrives court for Nnamdi Kanu's hearing
According to The Nation, the trial judge, Justice Binta Nyako, also granted an application by the prosecution yesterday and ordered that Kanu’s trial be separated from those of his co-defendants.
The others are the national coordinator of IPOB, Chidiebere Onwudiwe; an IPOB member, Benjamin Madubugwu; and a former field maintenance engineer seconded to a telecommunication company, David Nwawuisi.
Kanu has ceased to attend court after he was granted bail. His lawyer, Ifeanyi Ejiofor, claimed that he (Kanu) had been missing since some soldiers invaded his home in September last year. His co-defendants (who are in prison custody) were brought to court, Kanu was absent.
The development prompted the prosecution lawyer, Shuaibu Labaran, to apply that the trial be separated to prevent further delay. He noted that Kanu’s continued absence from court since he was granted bail in April 2017 has frustrated progress in the case.
“In the circumstance, the prosecution shall be asking for the indulgence of your lordship to separate the trial so that progress can be made in this matter," he said.
Lawyers to the defendants did not object to Labaran’s application, following which the trial judge granted it.
Justice Nyako agreed with the prosecution that there was the need to separate Kanu’s trial from the others, in her words, “meet the justice of the case.”
The judge also directed the prosecution to ensure that the charges were amended and served on the defendants before the next trial date.
Upon complaint from Chukwudi Igwe, lawyer to another IPOB member, whose name has been added as defendant in an amended charge, Bright Chimezie, Justice Nyako directed the prosecution to act on his case.
Igwe had complained that the State Security Service was holding his client despite an order by a Federal High Court in Uyo, Akwa Ibom state, directing that he be released. He further stated that if by the next trial date the prosecution failed to reflect his client’s name in the fresh amendment to the charge, he would apply that the charge be struck out against Chimezie.
The judge subsequently adjourned to Tuesday, March 20, for further proceedings.
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Legit.ng earlier reported that Abaribe told the court to hold the chief of army staff, Tukur Buratai, responsible for the disappearance of Kanu.
Abaribe said Buratai was aware of the pending charges against Kanu when he allegedly deployed soldiers to “forcefully and violently” invade the IPOB leader’s home.
He also accused the army chief of frustrating his role as a surety for the bail granted to Kanu by the court.
Check out what Nnamdi Kanu's lawyer said about military exercise in the southeast - on Legit.ng TV
Source: Legit.ng
