…..As IPOB Leader Was Absent At Trial
….. FG Seeks prosecution Of Abaribe, Other Sureties
The Federal Government on Tuesday asked Justice Binta Nyako of the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja to revoke the bail granted the leader of Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu.
Justice Nyako had on April 25, 2017 granted stringent bail conditions to Kanu, which he later perfected after bringing in three sureties who signed a bail bond of N100m each.
At a resumed trial, the prosecution counsel, Shuaibu Labaran told the court that the matter was for commencement of trial, but that he had an amended charge dated 21st June, 2017 to make.
“Unfortunately, My Lord, given the circumstances this morning, that is the absence of the 1st defendant (Kanu). We are afraid that the trial cannot go on in the interest of justice, Labaran stated.
The FG complained that Kanu was granted bail on April 25, 2017 on health grounds, and “the court gave an order that he should go and attend to his health challenge and report back to court on monthly basis”.
“My Lord, the 1st defendant never did and he is absent in court”.
Labaran posited that failure of Kanu to attend Tuesday’s trial “is great violation of the court order of April 25, granting the 1st defendant bail.
“Failure to appear today, we urge court to revoke the bail granted the 1st defendant; secondly, we seek the court to issue a bench warrant for the arrest of the 1st defendant, and thirdly, an order for the three sureties to come and show cause why Kanu was not in court to attend his trial, the prosecution stated.
The three sureties are Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, Jewish Priest Emmanuel Shalum Oka Ben Madu and Tochukwu Uchendu.
The FG insisted that the three sureties must come and show cause why the bail bond of N100m each signed by them shall not be forfeited.
More so, the FG demanded that if they fail to do so, “they should be committed to prison”.
