Appeal Court sitting in Abuja has assured parties in the case involving Nnamdi Kanu that a day of judgement will be fixed and communicated to them.
The Appeal Court reserved judgement on Tuesday after lawyers representing Nnamdi Kanu and Federal Government argued extensively on whether the detained Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB leader has case to answer or not.
Nnamdi Kanu, in his appeal dated April 29 and marked CA/ABJ/CR/625/2022, applied to be discharged and acquitted.
The appellate court brought the matter forward for hearing as against the initial October 11 fixed for the hearing.
Earlier today, a three-man panel led by Justice Jummai Hanatu, said it had no need to delve into the issue of bail since the substantive appeal was ripe for hearing.
Mike Ozekhome, a human rights lawyer who led the delegation of legal practitioners representing the IPOB leader, urged the Appeal court to strike out the remaining seven count charges, citing lack of credibility.
Ozekhome asked the appellate court to review the April 8 ruling of the trial court which struck out only eight out of the 15 charges.
Ozekhome emphasized that the charge, Federal Government entered against Nnamdi Kanu had no basis in law.
Ozekhome said that his client was forcefully abducted from Kenya and illegally renditioned back to the country.
He told the court that his client was first arraigned on December 23, 2015 and was later granted bail on April 25, 2017.
“My lords, he was enjoying this bail without breaching the terms. However, he was in his ancestral home when agents of the respondent invaded his home in September 2017.
“When the Appellant travelled from London to Kenya, agents of the respondents, on June 27, 2021, forcefully abducted the appellant, tortured and renditioned him back to the country without following any extradition process,” Ozekhome added.
He further argued that Kenya, being the country from where Kanu was arrested and extraordinarily renditioned back to Nigeria, ought to have authorised his extradition.
Federal Government, through its lawyer, David Kaswe, urged the court to dismiss the appeal for want of merit.
David Kaswe said that the IPOB leader was brought back to the country by due process of the law.
Adding that, the charge had been amended seven times owing to the conduct of the appellant.
“My lords, it took four years and huge resources to get the respondent arrested and brought back to face the charges against him.
“We are saying that the trial court was even wrong to have struck out the eight charges as it did.
“It is only after the FG has produced all its witnesses and tendered its evidence that the Appellant could claim that no prima-facie case was established.
“Finally, we urge this court to dismiss the appeal for lacking in merit,” Kaswe added.
After the legal arguments, the Appeal Court adjourned the case indefinitely and ruled that a date would be communicated for the judgment.
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