Court orders Nnamdi Kanu to be taken to prison

A Federal High Court judge has ordered that the custody of the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra and founder of Radio Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu, be relinquished by the Department of State Services.

DSS drops criminal charges against Nnamdi Kanu in Magistrate Court

Magistrate of the Chief Magistrate Court, Wuse Zone 2, Abuja, Shuaibu Usman, on Wednesday discharged the Director of Radio Biafra and Leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB),  Nnamdi Kanu, on all counts of criminal conspiracy and ownership of an unlawful society brought against him by the federal government.

Nnamdi-Kanu in court

After holding that the government had dropped the charges against Kanu, the judge ruled:  “The accused person is hereby discharged and the case struck out.”

The government through its agent, the Department of State Services (DSS), had elected to withdraw the case at the lower court for a higher court, which has jurisdiction to entertain charges bordering on terrorism, to take over.

Usman was scheduled to deliver judgment on the application of the DSS on December 1, but he put it off until December 16, reports TheCable.

The DSS has held Kanu for at least 90 days despite an order of the magistrate court granting him bail in October.

Biafra: Transfer me to prison custody, Kanu begs court

Hundreds of agitators for the creation of Biafra Republic, yesterday, besieged an Abuja Chief Magistrate Court sitting at Wuse Zone 2, demanding the unconditional release of the self-declared leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, Mr. Nnamdi Kanu.

The placard carrying protesters, who wore T-shirts and caps with inscriptions like “Biafra Now or Never”, “Buhari Release Kanu For Us”, “On Biafra We Stand”, yesterday, sang and danced outside the court premises, while hearing was going on in the criminal case that was entered  against Kanu by the federal government.

Meantime, following an order of the court, the Department of State Security, DSS, yesterday, produced the detained Director of Radio Biafra and Television, Kanu.

Chief Magistrate Shauibu Usman had at the last adjourned date, berated the DSS over its failure to produce Kanu in court on two consecutive times the matter came up  before the court.

Magistrate Usman said he was disappointed that the security agency refused to produce Kanu despite an express order of the court.

Consequently, he directed that the accused person must be brought before the court yesterday.

Meanwhile, at the resumed hearing on the matter yesterday, Kanu, who the government accused  of engaging in  criminal conspiracy, managing and belonging to an unlawful society, as well as indulging in criminal intimidation, contrary  to section 97 (a)&(b) and section 397 of the Penal Code, begged to be transferred to prison custody.

Charles Okah attempts jumping from court’s third floor

Abuja- Security operatives attached to Justice Gabriel Kolawole at the Federal High Court, Abuja, on Tuesday prevented Charles Okah, the alleged mastermind of the 2010 Independence Day bombing from committing suicide in court.

Okah, who is standing trial on charges of terrorism, had sought the permission of the judge to speak on what he termed “endless trial,” as his counsel was absent in court.

The judge granted the oral application and permitted Okah to speak for about five minutes.

Okah said: “I have been incarcerated for about five years now and I have a family to cater for. My children would grow up without feeling the warmth of their father and I am tired of this endless trial.  I really do not know what I have done to be treated this way.

“Is it not better to die than to wait and be messed up this way?” he asked.