IPOB: Nigerian govt amends charges against Nnamdi Kanu

The Nigerian government will, on Wednesday, re-arraign Nnamdi Kanu, the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), on amended terrorism-related charges, a court source told PREMIUM TIMES.

The amendment comes weeks after the judge, Binta Nyako, struck out eight of the 15 counts including terrorism and treasonable felony earlier brought against Mr Kanu by the government.

Mrs Nyako, in her ruling on Mr Kanu’s application on April 8, threw out counts 6, 7, 9, 10, 11, 12,13 and 14 which she ruled were repetitive and invalid.

But she approved counts 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 8 and 15, which Mr Kanu is currently being tried on.

The pending charges have to do with Mr Kanu’s alleged membership of the proscribed IPOB and incitement via social media channels of members of the group to kill innocent persons in the South-east.

The prosecution also alleged that on diverse dates between March and April 2015, Mr Kanu illegally imported into Nigeria and kept in Ubulisluzor in Ihiala Local Government Area of Anambra State, a radio transmitter known as Tram 50L, concealed in a container of used household items which he declared as used household items.

The alleged offence was said to be contrary to section 47(2)(a) of Criminal Code Act CapC45 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004.

Meanwhile, the court is billed to rule on Mr Kanu’s bail application today, Wednesday.

Background

At the last sitting, Mrs Nyako validated last year’s arrest and repatriation of Mr Kanu from Kenya by the Nigerian government.

READ ALSO: Court rejects Nnamdi Kanu’s bail application

The judge dismissed Mr Kanu’s claim that the federal government illegally repatriated him from Kenya to Nigeria without following a formal extradition procedure.

In her ruling, Mrs Nyako held that his repatriation to Nigeria could not be said to be illegal when there was a “surviving bench warrant” for the IPOB leader’s arrest.

The judge had, in March 2019, ordered Mr Kanu’s arrest after adjudging him to have jumped bail bringing his trial on charges of treasonable felony to a halt.

Mrs Nyako held that the IPOB leader’s arrest in Kenya and repatriation to Nigeria were in compliance with her order in 2018, for his arrest to face trial.