Supreme Court has fixed December 15 to deliver judgement on appeal seeking the release of the leader of the proscribed Indigenous People Of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu.
Gatekeepers News reports that the five-member panel led by Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, fixed the date for judgement on Thursday, after counsels for the federal government and the IPOB leader adopted their final arguments.
Kanu has been in the custody of the Department of State Services (DSS) since he was extradited from Kenya on June 19, 2021.
Thereafter, the federal government filed terrorism charges against him.
On April 8, 2022, a federal high court judge in Abuja, Binta Nyako, struck out eight of the 15 counts in the charge.
Following this, the court of appeal quashed the remaining seven counts on October 13, 2022, with the judge ordering Kanu’s release.
Nevertheless, on October 28, 2022, the court of appeal granted a stay of execution on its verdict discharging Kanu, after the federal government filed an appeal at the Supreme Court.
Kanu subsequently appealed the order staying the execution.
During proceedings on Thursday, Kanu’s lawyer, Mike Ozekhome, prayed the court to order the immediate release of his client from detention and award “very heavy and punitive cost” against the federal government.
Ozekhome said, “We urge my lords to uphold our cross-appeal in order to do substantial justice to this matter and to the respondent who has been in detention since June 29, 2021, even after the lower court ordered his release and that he should never be prosecuted again on the same counts
“They are still holding him unconstitutionally. We pray my lords to deliver justice and use this case, just like in Ojukwu vs. State, to demonstrate that no man or government should be above the law.”
However, in his submission, the federal government’s counsel, Tijjani Gazzali, prayed the court to set aside the judgement of the court of appeal which ordered Kanu’s release.
Gazzali further prayed the court order the resumption of his trial before the Federal High Court in Abuja on terrorism-related charges.
