A Nigerian court has rejected a fresh bail application filed by Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB). Justice Binta Nyako, presiding over the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja, dismissed the request on Tuesday.
Kanu’s lawyers, led by Mr. Alloy Ejimakor, argued for his release due to ill health, citing diagnoses of hypertension and heart disease confirmed by a government hospital. Ejimakor further argued that continued detention by the Department of State Services (DSS) threatened Kanu’s life and hampered his ability to prepare a defense. He also pointed to repeated amendments to the charges by the government as a tactic to delay the trial.
Kanu’s lawyer acknowledged that he previously jumped bail, but argued that this was no longer relevant due to intervening court rulings. However, the federal government’s lawyer, Chief Adegboyega Awomolo, countered that there were “no guarantees” Kanu would appear in court if released. Awomolo also argued that the DSS was providing Kanu with adequate healthcare and that the court lacked justification to grant bail given Kanu’s history of bail jumping.
This is not the first time Kanu’s bail has been a contentious issue. Initially arrested in 2015, he was granted bail in 2017 on health grounds. However, Kanu fled the country after a military raid on his home in 2017. He was re-arrested in Kenya in 2021 and brought back to Nigeria.
The court case has been a long and winding road. In April 2022, eight of the original fifteen charges against Kanu were dropped. Later that year, an appeals court ordered Kanu’s immediate release, stating that the government’s actions in re-arresting him were unlawful. However, the Supreme Court overturned that decision in December 2023, allowing the federal government to proceed with its remaining seven-count charge against Kanu.
Justice Nyako expressed frustration over the repeated delays in the trial, stating “This is exactly the way this case has been going since 2015. I am talking to both sides. You always find a way to truncate the proceedings.” The court’s decision paves the way for a more expedited trial against Nnamdi Kanu on charges of treasonable felony.
