Nnamdi Kanu Finally Appears Before Federal High Court in Abuja

The leader of Indigenous People of Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu has finally appeared before the Federal High court in Abuja on Thursday.

It had been earlier reported that during the last proceedings, Nnamdi Kanu who is being held by the Department of State Services, was not brought before the court, a development that was blamed on “logistical issues” by the prosecuting lawyer, Mohammed Abubakar.

Last week, the Federal Government slammed an amended seven-count charge against Kanu, who is being tried before Justice Binta Nyako over charges of treasonable felony and terrorism.

Prior to his recent arrest  in 2021 Kanu had been arrested in October 2015 and was detained for more than a year, despite various court orders that ruled for his release.

He was charged with “criminal conspiracy, intimidation, and membership of an illegal organization” – charges that could amount to treason

He was However granted bail in April 2017 for health reasons but skipped bail after flouting some of the conditions given to him by the court He has also been on the run since then.

Despite the court’s insistence on his appearance, Nnamdi Kanu remained abroad, and once said he jumped bail to pursue the cause of Biafra.

Owing to his absence in court, Binta Nyako, the judge who granted him bail, revoked it and ordered that he should be arrested.

Kanu, however, dismissed the arrest warrant issued against him and vowed to remain abroad to continue agitating for Biafra.

IPOB was later declared a terrorist group by the Federal Government and the court following a clash between the military and protesters at Nnamdi Kanu house in Umuahia, the capital of Abia state.

On June 29, 2021, the Attorney-General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, announced that Mr Kanu had been rearrested and extradited to Nigeria to continue facing his trial.