Federal government wins the right to file nine fresh charges against Nnamdi Kanu

NIGERIA'S federal government has secured permission from the Supreme Court to file nine fresh grounds of appeal to oppose the release of the embattled leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (Ipob) Nnamdi Kanu from detention.

Highly controversial, Mr Kanu has been campaigning for the recreation of the independent republic of Biafra which broke away from Nigeria between July 1967 and January 1970 during the civil war. His campaign, which has led to the phenomenal growth of Ipob, has set him at odds with the Nigerian government who him arrested and put on trial for treason.

While the case was still pending, Mr Kanu was granted bail in April 2017 on health grounds but skipped his bail after flouting the conditions given to him by the court and fled Nigeria. In a dramatic development, in June 2021, Mr Kanu was abducted in Kenya and flown to Nigeria, where he has since been arrayed in court in Abuja, with fresh charges added to the pending ones.

Now, the federal government has won the right to add nine new offences to Nnamdi Kanu's charge sheet after the Supreme Court approved its request. Today's ruling followed an application that was moved by government lawyer Tijani Gadzali, who also sought an adjournment to respond to Me Kanu’s request to be transferred from the detention facility of the Department of State Services (DSS) to the Kuje Correctional Centre in Abuja.

Mr Gazzali told the court that he would need time to file a counter-affidavit to oppose Mr Kanu’s request. Consequently, a five-member panel of the Supreme Court led by Justice Inyang Okoro adjourned the case till May 11 for definite hearing.

On October 13, 2022, Nigeria's Court of Appeal in Abuja ordered Mr Kanu’s release from detention. In a unanimous decision by a three-member panel, the appellate court equally quashed a 15-count terrorism charge that federal government entered against the detained Mr Kanu before the Federal High Court in Abuja.

In its ruling, the court said it was satisfied that the federal government flagrantly violated all known laws, when it forcefully abducted Mt Kanu from Kenya to the country for the continuation of his trial. It held that such arbitrary use of power by the Nigerian government, divested the trial court of the jurisdiction to continue with Mr Kanu’s trial.

However, dissatisfied with the judgement,  he government took the matter before the Supreme Court, asking it to suspend the execution of the judgement, pending the determination of its appeal. Meanwhile, Mr Kanu’s legal team, led by Chief Mike Ozekhome, said there was a need to also transfer his client from the custody of the DSS to where he could get proper medical attention in view of his deteriorating health.