ABUJA– The detained leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, Nnamdi Kanu, was on Friday, re-arraigned before Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court in Abuja.
Kanu, whose trial started de-novo (afresh) following the reassignment of his case-file to Justice Omotosho, pleaded not guilty to a seven-count charge that bordered on terrorism and treasonable felony, which the Federal Government preferred against him.
It will be recalled that Justice Binta Nyako, who previously conducted the case, recused herself from the matter after she was accused of bias by the embattled IPOB leader.
Justice Nyako initially adjourned the trial sine die ( indefinitely) until the Chief Judge of the high court, Justice John Tsoho, transferred the case-file to the new judge, a development that warranted the defendant to take a fresh plea on Friday.
Meanwhile, Kanu, whose legal team is now led by a former Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr. Kanu Agabi, SAN, tendered an apology to both the former trial judge and the prosecution counsel, Chief Adegboyega Awomolo, SAN, over his outburst in the open court on February 10 when his case was adjourned indefinitely.
Kanu was first arrested in Lagos on October 14, 2015, upon his return to the country from the United Kingdom, UK.
The court had on April 25, 2017, granted him bail on health ground, after he had spent about 18 months in detention.
Upon the perfection of the bail conditions, he was on April 28, 2017, released from the Kuje prison.
However, midway into the trial, the IPOB leader escaped from the country after soldiers invaded his country home at Afara Ukwu Ibeku in Umuahia, Abia State, an operation that led to the death of some of his followers.
Kanu was later re-arrested in Kenya on June 19, 2021 and extraordinarily renditioned back to the country by security agents on June 27, 2021.
Following the development, the trial court, on June 29, 2021, remanded him in custody of DSS, where he remained till date.
On April 8, 2022, the court struck out eight out of the 15-count charge that FG preferred against him on the premise that they lacked substance.
Likewise, the Abuja Division of the Court of Appeal, on October 13, 2022, ordered Kanu’s immediate release from detention even as it quashed the charge against him.
Dissatisfied with the decision, FG took the matter before the Supreme Court, even as it persuaded the appellate court to suspend the execution of the judgement, pending the determination of its appeal.
While deciding the appeal, the Supreme Court, on December 15, 2023, vacated the judgement of the appellate court and gave FG the nod to try the IPOB leader on the subsisting seven-count charge.
