Leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, Nnamdi Kanu will on May 20 know his fate in his request for restoration of his revoked bail and removal from the custody of the Department of State Services (DSS) to house arrest.
Justice Binta Nyako of the Federal High Court, Abuja, fixed the date on Wednesday after taking arguments from Kanu’s legal team led by Alloy Ejimakor and that of the Federal Government, represented by Chief Adegboyega Awomolo.
Kanu, who has been in detention since 2021 in a motion argued by Ejimakor requested the court to restore the bail granted him in 2017 by the same Judge.
He told the court that contrary to the claim of the Federal Government, he did not jump bail or breach any of the conditions of the bail but had to escape out of the country when the military allegedly invaded his house.
In a separate motion, also argued by his legal team, Kanu demanded his removal from the custody of the DSS to a house arrest or in the alternative, to remand him in prison.
Besides, he asked that his lawyers must be allowed unhindered access to him to enable him prepare for his defense in the terrorism charges against him.
However, the Federal Government’s legal team, led by Awomolo vehemently opposed granting all the requests made by Kanu.
Among others, the senior lawyer said that, in a criminal matter, no defendant has right to dictate to the court how his prosecution should be conducted,
adding that he was once admitted to bail but breeched the bail by escaping out of the country under false claims.
The Senior lawyer argued that the fresh request for bail by Kanu is a gross abuse of court process, having been rejected earlier by the same court, hence the only option available to the defendant is to go to the court of Appeal to challenge the rejection since the High Court cannot over rule itself.
On the request for removal from DSS custody, Awomolo said that, the only safe and secured environment for Kanu remains the DSS custody in the interest of safety of his life.
Garry Ochigbo, Edited By Grace Namiji
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