The Abuja Division of the Federal High Court has set March 19 as the date for the ruling on the bail application and preliminary objection to the commencement of trial filed by Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).
Justice Binta Nyako scheduled this date after the Federal Government’s counsel, Adegboyega Awomolo, and Kanu’s counsel, Alloy Ejimakor, presented their arguments for and against the motions.
During the hearing, Awomolo informed Justice Nyako that the case was being heard following the Supreme Court’s decision on December 15, 2023.
He stated that the Supreme Court upheld Nyako’s decision of April 8, 2022, which preserved counts one, two, three, four, five, eight, and 15 of the charges to which Kanu pleaded not guilty.
Awomolo mentioned that the Supreme Court directed the continuation of the trial on the remaining seven counts from the initial 15.
“We are prepared to proceed with the hearing of this matter, and it is in the defendant’s interest, as well as the interest of everyone in this country, to see the conclusion of the hearing,” Awomolo expressed.
In response, Ejimakor informed the court that he had two motions: a bail application and a preliminary objection. He acknowledged the Supreme Court’s directive for the trial’s continuation but stated that they were not yet prepared to proceed.
He urged the court to consider the bail application and the preliminary objection for a decision, to which the prosecution did not raise any objections.