The Federal High Court in Abuja, on Monday, fixed 19 March for ruling on the bail application and preliminary objection to filed by Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).
The judge, Binta Nyako, fixed the date after counsel for the federal government, Adegboyega Awomolo, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), and that of Mr Kanu, Alloy Ejimakor, adopted their processes and presented their arguments for and against the motions.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) earlier reported that at the resumed hearing of the matter, Mr Awomolo told Mrs Nyako that the case was coming up for hearing after the decision of the 15 December 2023 Supreme Court.
Mr Awomolo said the Supreme Court affirmed Mrs Nyako’s decision of 8 April 2022, by affirming the preservation of counts one, two, three, four, five, eight and 15 of the charge which Mr Kanu pleaded not guilty to.
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The senior lawyer said that the Supreme Court ordered the continuation of the hearing on the remaining seven counts out of the earlier 15 counts.
“So we are ready to proceed with the hearing of this matter and it is in the defendant’s interest and everybody’s interest in this country to see to the end of the hearing,” he said.
But Kanu’s counsel, Mr Ejimakor, told the court that he had two motions – an application for bail and a preliminary objection.
He said though he agreed that the Supreme Court directed the continuation of the trial, they were not ready to continue the proceedings.
He urged the court to take the bail application and the preliminary objection for court to decide whichever way, and the prosecution did not object.
(NAN)
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