Punch
The Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory on Tuesday, has reserved judgment on the case against the detained leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu.
Human rights Lawyer, Mike Ozekhome (SAN), who led the delegation of legal practitioners representing the IPOB leader, urged the court to strike out the remaining charges citing a lack of credibility.
Ozekhome specifically prayed the appellate court to review the April 8 ruling of the trial court which struck out only eight out of the 15 charges.
He also insisted that the charge FG entered against him had no basis in law. Kanu, in his appeal dated April 29 and marked CA/ABJ/CR/625/2022, applied to be discharged and acquitted.
However, following an application the embattled IPOB leader filed for abridgement of time, the appellate court brought the matter forward for hearing as against the initial October 11 fixed for the hearing.
When the matter was called up today, a three-man panel led by Justice Jummai Hanatu, said it had no need to delve into the issue of bail since the substantive appeal was ripe for hearing.
Arguing the appeal claim, Ozekhome alleged that his client was forcefully abducted from Kenya and illegally renditioned back to the country.
He told the court that his client was first arraigned on December 23, 2015 and was later granted bail on April 25, 2017.
“My lords, he was enjoying this bail without breaching the terms. However, he was in his ancestral home when agents of the respondent invaded his home in September 2017.
“When the Appellant travelled from London to Kenya, agents of the respondents, on June 27, 2021, forcefully abducted the appellant, tortured and renditioned him back to the country without following any extradition process,” Ozekhome added…
