The Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has dismissed a fresh application filed by the detained leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, seeking to be released on bail pending the determination of the charges brought against him by the federal government.
In a ruling delivered by Justice Binta Nyako, the court stated it was not obligated to exercise any discretion in favor of the defendant.
Justice Nyako highlighted that Kanu’s previous escape from the country led to the sureties who had guaranteed his bail to disassociate themselves from the case. The sureties, in their applications, claimed they were unaware of Kanu’s whereabouts, prompting the court to forfeit the N100 million bail bonds.
Kanu was initially arrested in Lagos on October 14, 2015, and was granted bail on health grounds after spending 18 months in detention. However, during the trial, the IPOB leader escaped from the country. He was later re-arrested in Kenya on June 19, 2021, and has remained in the custody of the Department of State Services (DSS) since then.
The court also refused Kanu’s request to be either transferred to prison custody or placed under house arrest. However, it ordered the DSS to always grant him access to his lawyers and doctors of his choice.
