• Court denies bail

From Godwin Tsa, Abuja

The detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, has asked the Federal High Court to transfer him to Kuje prison.

Kanu who made the demand on Tuesday, alleged that the Department of State Services had no medical facility to treat him, adding that there was a conspiracy for him to die in the DSS custody.

He said, “People will come to see me they will not allow them. They don’t have a medical facility. I have congestive heart failure. They are patching me up.

“My foot is swollen. I asked them to conduct surgery, and they said they couldn’t. There is a conspiracy to die in detention. I want to be transferred to Kuje.”

Meanwhile, the Abuja division of the Federal High Court has dismissed the fresh application brought by the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, Nnamdi Kanu, seeking his release on bail, pending the determination of the treasonable felony charge filed against him by the Federal Government.
Justice Binta Nyako who rejected Kanu’s bail application however ordered accelerated hearing of the seven-count charge against him.

In the dismissed application, Kanu had prayed the court to grant him bail on “most liberal terms” owing to his deteriorating health.

His counsel, Aloy Ejimakor argued that there was no dispute that the IPOB leader has a serious health condition that was confirmed by federal government owned hospital.

Ejimakor disclosed that series of tests that were conducted on Kanu, showed that he was suffering from hypertension and acute heart disease.

“Our humble submission is that the medical condition of the defendant speaks for itself and the health challenge persists, despite the treatment offered him by the detaining authority,” Ejimako added.

He maintained that Kanu’s continued detention by the Department of State Services, DSS, posed a threat to his life, adding the freeing the defendant on bail would enable him to effectively prepare his defence to the charge.

But on its part, counsel to the Federal government, Chief Adegboyega Awomolo, SAN, opposed the bail application, insisting that there was no guarantee that Kanu would make himself available for trial, once released from detention.

Awomolo told the court that the security agency had been diligent in protecting Kanu’s life.

He urged the court to reject the bail request and order accelerated hearing of the case.

According to the prosecution counsel, Section 161 of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, stipulated that the defendant must prove that the authorities failed to grant him access to quality healthcare at his detention center.

The senior lawyer further contended that there was nothing tangible that was brought before the court to establish an exceptional circumstance that would warrant Kanu’s release on bail.

He submitted that the court had earlier revoked the defendant’s bail after he violated the conditions attached to it.

According to Awomolo, “There is no evidence before the court that Kanu will not jump bail again.”