Aloy Ejimakor, Special Counsel to the leader of the outlawed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, says the Federal High Court, Abuja’s dismissal of his client’s bail application is “a sad day for rule of law in Nigeria”.
Newsbreak reports that the court on Tuesday dismissed a fresh application for bail by the detained IPOB leader.
This was just as it refused to revoke a warrant of arrest issued against the IPOB leader on March 28, 2019, following his disappearance from Nigeria to abroad in September 2017.
The fresh bail application was filed pending the determination of the treasonable felony charge against him by the Federal Government.
Kanu, who is currently facing seven-count, had in the application he filed through his team of lawyers led by Mike Ozekhome (SAN), also challenged the revocation of the bail the court earlier granted to him.
He asked the court to set aside the order it made on March 28, 2019, which not only issued a bench warrant for his arrest but also gave the Federal Government the nod to try him in absentia.
Dismissing the bail request on Tuesday, the trial judge, Justice Binta Nyako, said she was not satisfied with the reason the IPOB leader gave for his failure to appear in court for the continuation of his trial.
While delivering her ruling in a motion on notice asking for revocation of the arrest warrant upon his re-arrest, Justice Nyako held that the motion lacked merit because Kanu had not explained his whereabouts for over two years when he jumped bail.
The judge dismissed Kanu’s claims that he was denied a fair hearing because the order for his arrest was issued in his absence.
Justice Nyako held that Kanu was adequately represented in court when the Federal Government applied for the warrant of arrest and that his surety, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, was also in court.
The court said Kanu who jumped bail granted him on health grounds cannot turn around to make allegations of lack of fair hearing.
Justice Nyako while dismissing the motion upheld the arrest warrant against the self and IPOB leader.
😭 28th June, 2022: A SAD day for rule of law in #Nigeria.
I’m not happy. Millions are not happy.
Yet, sooner than later –
The persecution shall end.#MNK shall be free.And all that labor in defense of freedom shall triumph.
— aloy ejimakor (@AloyEjimakor) June 28, 2022
Reacting to the verdict, Ejimakor wrote on his known Twitter handle on Tuesday: “28th June, 2022: A SAD day for rule of law in #Nigeria. I’m not happy. Millions are not happy. Yet, sooner than later – The persecution shall end. #MNK shall be free. And all that labour in defence of freedom shall triumph.”
Discussion about this post