Nnamdi Kalu’s bail: Court rules on Thursday

The Federal High Court in Abuja will on Thursday decide whether or not to admit the self-acclaimed leader of the Biafran Republic, Nnamdi Kanu, on bail.
Justice Adeniyi Ademola gave the date on Monday after taking arguments from both parties involved in the bail application.
It will be recalled that Kanu has been in detention of the Department of State Services (DSS) since October this year, when he was apprehended by DSS operatives and moved to Abuja.
Counsel to the DSS, Mr Moses Idakwo, while objecting to Kanu’s bail application, asked the court not to admit the suspect on bail because he was allegedly involved in terrorism acts.
The DSS counsel told Justice Ademola that the Federal Government was in possession of bank accounts of the accused person for dollars and pound sterling from where he had been financing terrorism acts against the country.
Besides, the counsel also submitted that Kanu has dual citizenship of Britain and Nigeria and he could flee and escape justice if allowed to go on bail.
Counsel to Kanu dismissed the claims of the DSS on the grounds that they were speculative and not supported with any documents to buttress their claim.
Kanu’s lawyer had earlier asked the court to set aside an order it earlier granted to DSS operatives to detain him for 90 days on alleged investigation of terrorism against him by the Federal Government.
Kanu also asked the court to strike out a criminal charge with reference no FHC/ABJ/CS/873/2015 brought against him by the SSS.
In a motion on notice argued before Justice Adeniyi Ademola, Kanu applied for an order of the court admitting him to bail and also directing the DSS to obey an order of the Chief Magistrate Court which had earlier granted him bail in the motion argued by his counsel Mr. Egechukwu Obetta.
Kanu claimed that the order of the Federal High Court that permitted the SSS to detain him for 90 days, pending the investigation of terrorism allegations against him was obtained fraudulently by the SSS.
The grounds of Kanu’s application was among others, that the exparte motion dated and filed on Oct 26 by the DSS and upon which the permission to detain him was granted was an abuse of court process brought in complete bad fate.
The detained Biafran leader alleged that the DSS did not reveal to the Federal High Court the fact of the pendency of a criminal charge already brought against him by the DSS in the Abuja Chief Magistrate Court.
Kanu also claimed that the magistrate where he was arraigned by DSS was a creation of statute and recognised under the law and that all his decisions and proceedings ought to be binding on all parties until set aside on Appeal.
The Biafran leader in the grant of his application also claimed that the allegations of sponsoring and financing terrorism against him was a bare allegation and not supported with any evidence that he was preparing to take up arms against the country.