Court Orders Separate Trials For Kanu, Co-defendants
The Federal High Court in Abuja on Tuesday ordered that the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, be separately tried from the rest of his co-defendants.
Justice Binta Nyako made the order following an oral application by the lead prosecuting counsel, Shuaibu Labaran, who noted that Kanu’s continued absence from court since he was granted bail in April 2017 “has frustrated progress in the case.”
Other defence lawyers did not oppose the application.
Kanu, who, alongside his co-defendants, is being prosecuted on five counts bordering on treasonable felony, among other charges, was absent from court on Tuesday.
But the rest of his co-defendants were produced in court by prison officials for Tuesday’s proceedings.
The IPOB leader’s co-defendants are the National Coordinator of IPOB, Chidiebere Onwudiwe; an IPOB member, Benjamin Madubugwu; and a former MTN Field Maintenance Engineer, David Nwawuisi.
Ruling on the application for separate trials, the judge held that she agreed with the prosecution that there was the need to severe the trial of Kanu from that of others in order “to meet the justice of the case.”
