Victor EzejaNigerian government has filed an amended seven-count terrorism charge against the embattled leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu.
Kanu who has been in the custody of the Department of State Service (DSS) in Abuja for about 17 months, was on October 13, 2022, discharged by an Appeal Court judgement which faulted the manner he was brought back to Nigeria to continue his terrorism trial.
The appellate court quashed all pending charges against Kanu, maintaining that the high court lacked jurisdiction to try Kanu because the extraordinary rendition violated international convention and protocols, and ordered the government to release the IPOB leader.
However, the federal government, disastified with the ruling, filed an appeal at the Supreme Court and asked the court to stay the execution of the judgment discharging Kanu from the charge, pending the hearing and determination of the appeal at the apex court.
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In a ruling on Friday, October 28, 2022, a panel of the Court of Appeal in Abuja led by Haruna Tsanami ordered that the enforcement of the judgment releasing Kanu be put on hold.
According to reports, the amended charge, marked FHC/ABJ/CR/383/2015, which was filed before the Federal High Court in Abuja, contained all allegations against the IPOB leader that were earlier sustained by the trial court.
Meanwhile, Justice Binta Nyako of the Abuja High Court has fixed Monday, November 14, 2022, for legal teams of both parties (Kanu and the Federal Government) to address the court on the matter.
Prime Business Africa gathered that as a result of the amended charges, both parties will argue in court whether the federal government could proceed to re-arraign the IPOB leader on the amended charges despite the October 13 judgement that discharged him of all the allegations as well as the appeals on the subject matter pending before the apex court.
In the new amended charge, the government specifically alleged that Kanu had in a broadcast that was received across Nigeria, issued deadly threat against anyone who refused to observe his sit-at home order in the Southeast and also incited members of the public to go after the lives of Nigerian security personnel and their family members, amongst other allegations.
Victor Ezeja is a passionate journalist with six years of experience writing on economy, politics and energy. He holds a Masters degree in Mass Communication.
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