Court rules on Kanu’s bail application Friday

A FEDERAL High Court in Abuja has slated hearing on the application for bail of the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu and his co-accused, David Nwawusi and Benjamin Madubugwu, to Friday, January 29, 2016.

Arguing the bail application at the resumed hearing yesterday, Kanu’s counsel, M. Udechukwu, told the court presided by Justice James Tsoho that the offences for which the defendants were charged are bailable and urged the court to grant them bail.

The defense counsel, who cited sections 158 and 162 of the Administration of Criminal Justice (ACJ) Act 2015 to buttress his point, also added that the submissions of the prosecution in their counter-affidavit are not sufficient enough to warrant the court denying the defendants bail.

But the prosecution counsel, Mohammed Diri, who is the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), in his submission, prayed the court to refuse the bail application brought before it by the defendants.

Diri told the court that Kanu had admitted that he is a British citizen and that he sneaked into the country, adding that there is the possibility of him sneaking out if admitted to bail.

Justice Tsoho had ordered that Kanu and his co-defendants be remanded in prison, last week, after heated arguments ensued between the prosecution, Mohammed Diri and the defence counsel, Chuks Muoma.