LINUS CHIBUIKE
A Federal High Court in Abuja will soon commence the trial, in absentia, of the Leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu.
Five prosecution witnesses are expected to testify against the IPOB leader at the resumed hearing, scheduled for November 26.
Notice of the hearing had been served on both the prosecution and defence lawyer, Ifeanyi Ejiofor, it was learnt.
Kanu had been arrested by the Department of State Security in 2015 and charged with treasonable felony, inciting violence and hate speech, among other charges.
He spent two years in custody after which he was granted bail in April 2017 on health grounds, but eventually violated his bail condition and left Nigeria in September 2017.
Following an order for his arrest, Kanu’s lawyer made a case for the court to restore his bail, arguing that he had fled the country because his family residence in Abia State was invaded by soldiers.
However, Kanu has continued his activities abroad, saying self determination is not a crime but a right guaranteed under chapter A9, Laws of Federation of Nigeria, 2004.
