IPOB: Nnamdi Kanu Appears in Court for Trial, Condemns Killings in South-East

The detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu, has arrived at the Federal High Court Abuja for his trial. 

Kanu who arrived in court in the presence of his lawyers on Wednesday, also spoke on the killings in the South East.

He insisted he was all for peace, and had no hand in the murder of the soldiers.

“I condemn in its entirety all of the killings, because IPOB was founded on a non-violent principle, and we maintain that stand. And some of these soldiers, we were told are also our people, and his family is in mourning right now.

“So I condemn all the killings. I don’t want that. We are fighting for freedom, so, how can we want violence? We want people to be free. We have suffered a lot in Africa, from slavery in Arabia, Europe and now slavery in America. This is when to focus on this continent, and be what God wants us to be, so that they will know that we know what we are doing,’ he told journalists in court.

His legal team earlier submitted a full list of judgements in the matter to the office of the Attorney General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi, at the Federal Ministry of Justice in Abuja.

The leader of the team, Barr Nnaemeka Ejiofor, told journalists that the judgements were from both domestic and international, courts directing the release of the IPOB leader.

He said the decision to forward all the pronouncements was in response to the statement credited to the AGF that he was not aware of Kanu’s case and that his fate would be resolved by the court.

Ejiofor also asked President Bola Tinubu, to release Kanu and respect the various judgements, directing the IPOB leader’s release.

On May 24, Fagbemi said the offence of the detained IPOB leader is a difficult one, and can only be resolved by a competent court of law.

He also pointed out that there was a remarkable difference between Kanu’s case and that of Omoyele Sowore.

Days earlier, Kanu’s lawyers filed a preliminary objection at the Federal High Court Abuja, asking the trial judge, Justice Binta Nyako, to decline jurisdiction to proceed with the trial against him.

Part of the issue for determination, was whether the court has the jurisdiction to try Kanu for any, or all the offences charged against him in Counts 1, 2, 4,5 and 8,  to quash the said counts on the ground that the law which the said counts were predicated, was unconstitutional.

Justice Nyako dismissed the request by Kanu for the restoration of his revoked bail, and the removal from the custody of the Department of State Services (DSS), to a house arrest or prison custody.

Kanu has been in DSS custody since June 2021 when he was arrested in Kenya, and has since resumed terrorism-related trial levelled against him by the Federal Government.