Detained IPOB leader, Nnamdi Kanu, denied bail

The embattled leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, has been denied bail by the Federal High Court, Abuja.

Persecondnews reports that Kanu had in an application he filed pursuant to Sections 6(6) and 36(5) and (6) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), as well as Sections 161, 162, 163 and 165 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, ACJA, 2015, urged the court to release him on bail pending the determination of the charges against him.

The IPOB leader had told the court that he has “credible and reliable sureties”, pledging that he would not commit any offence while on bail.

He argued that he has not been tried or convicted by any court of law in the country, while contending that he was entitled to bail.

Justice Binta Nyako, in her ruling, held that Kanu must explain why he breached the previous bail granted him before he could enjoy another “favourable discretion” of the court.

“Until the issue of absence of the defendant for his trial, with all the bail conditions breached, is determined, the instant application of the defendant for bail will at best be premature and it is refused.

“However, the defendant is at liberty to refile the application,” she said.

The court also failed to reach an agreement with the defendant who stated that he fled the country when a group of soldiers allegedly invaded his residence in Abia State.

The court noted that the IPOB leader’s trial had suffered setbacks since 2015 owing to over 19 interlocutory applications that have been filed on the matter.

It, therefore, implored the parties to allow trial to proceed to enable the charge to be determined one way or the other.

The federal government also urged the court to refuse the bail application, insisting that Kanu, having realized the gravity of the case against him, would run away from the country and not make himself available for trial.