Detained leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Mr. Nnamdi Kanu on Wednesday pleaded not guilty to the 15-count amended charges which the federal preferred against him.
Kanu who is standing trial for alleged treasonable felony said he was innocent of all the allegations levelled against him.
After taking his plea, the prosecution counsel, Mr. Shuaib Labaran said he was ready to commence the trial but the lead counsel to the IPOB leader, Mr. Mike Ozekhome objected and urged the court to first, decide the defendant’s application seeking to quash the charges filed against him for lacking substance.
Ozekhome said he had on Tuesday evening, filed a 43-page preliminary objection for the charge to be struck out without the matter proceeding to trial.
“The 15-count charge is incurably defective, worthless and dead on arrival.
“We also filed an application for the bail of the defendant. The two applications need to be considered first before trial can commence.
“We are further asking that the defendant should be discharged and acquitted as there is nothing in this charge. It has no basis at all.
“We also have a motion requesting the court to grant bail to the defendant,” Ozekhome declared.
However, the prosecution counsel contended that Kanu’s two applications were not ripe for hearing, stressing that he would require time to go through them so as to be able to respond.
“In essence, the business of the day cannot be allowed to be truncated by these applications,” he argued.
In a brief ruling, the trial judge, Justice Binta Nyako said that since Kanu’s first application was challenging the propriety of his trial as well as competence of the charge against him, the Court ought to hear it first.
“As for the second motion (on the issue of bail), I don’t even want to talk about it, at least not at this stage,” he said.
Nyako subsequently adjourned the case to February 16 to hear the pending application.
Meanwhile, a High Court in Abia State has the federal government to pay N1 billion to the embattled IPOB chief and issue a letter of apology to him.
Kanu’s lawyer, Mr. Aloy Ejimakor disclosed this in a tweet on Wednesday.
“Mazi Nnamdi Kanu WINS as Abia High Court rules that the federal government violated his fundamental rights. Orders the Federal government to pay N1b to him and issue a letter of apology to him.
“Most importantly, the Court recommended political solution to the #Biafran agitation.”
Kanu had approached the Court demanding N5 billion over the invasion of his father’s house by the military on September 10, 2017.
In a ruling on Wednesday, according to his lawyer, the court presided over by Justice Benson Anya stated that the federal government violated the IPOB leader’s fundamental rights.
