IPOB Leader, Kanu Arraigned; Pleads Not Guilty; Case Adjourned To November 10

By Akinwale Kasali

Sowore Attacked Outside Courtroom By Unknown Persons

Dressed in a Versace designer track was the leader of proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, Nnamdi Kanu, as he appeared at the Federal High Court in Abuja, where the embattled leader is facing charges of Terrorism and Treasonable Felony.

He arrived in Court in a black Sports Utility Vehicle at about 8am, as security was beefed up from Transcorp Hilton through the Ministry of Justice and Abia House. There was heavy presence of a combined team of Police, Army, Department of State Services operatives estimated to be over 1,000.

Journalists, lawyers and IPOB members were denied access to the Federal High Court, Abuja for the epic trial of the IPOB leader.

This however led to serious vehicular and human traffic.

All pleas for Journalists to have access to the court were turned down by security personnel.

As proceedings began in Court over the Seven Count Charge on Treasonable Felony and Terrorism leveled against him by the Federal Government, Kanu pleaded not guilty of the charges before Justice Binta Nyako.

Following his pleading not guilty, his legal team led by Ifeanyi Ejiofor challenged his detention and sought that he should be moved from the custody of the Department of State Security, DSS, to Kuje Prison, but the Presiding Judge, Justice Nyako rejected the application.

The Federal Government, last week, in the amended charge marked FHC/ABJ/CR/383/2015  signed by the Director, Public Prosecution of the Federation, Mr. M. B. Abubakar, alleged that Kanu had in furtherance of an act of terrorism, issued a deadly threat that anyone that flouted his sit-at-home order should write his or her will.

FG alleged that as a result of Kanu’s directive, banks, schools, markets, shopping malls, fuel stations were not opened for businesses, with vehicular movements grounded in the South East region of the country.

Count one of the charge read, “Being the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), on diverse dates in 2014 and 2015 in London, United Kingdom, did broadcast on Radio Biafra monitored in Enugu and other areas within the jurisdiction of this honourable court, preparations made by you and others now at large, for states in the South-East and South-South zones and other communities in Kogi and Benue states to secede from the federal republic of Nigeria with a view to constituting same into the Republic of Biafra and you thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 41(c) of the Criminal Code Act, CAP. C77, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004.”

Binta, then, adjourned the matter till November 10 and the IPOB leader was whisked out of the court in a convoy of white Hilux vans.

Omoyele Sowore,  activist and publisher of SaharaReporters, was allegedly physically assaulted outside the court premises by men suspected to be Government sympathisers.

According to Sowore, he was addressing the press and security agents while trying to gain access into the court premises when suddenly a number of thugs he believed were sent by  Government  swooped on him and molested him in the process.

The activist, however, noted that the hoodlums were later arrested by the security agents but he didn’t believe the arrest was genuine.