Group’s lawyer slams Kalu
Ahead of the October 17, 2017 adjourned date for his continued trial, the whereabouts of leader of the Independent People of Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu has been dogged in controversy.
This development is fuelling speculation that the IPOB leader may not appear in court on the adjourned date.
Kanu, who had been in detention since October 14 ,2015 over a five-count charge bordering on treason, was given a conditional bail on April 2017 by Justice Binta Nyako of a Federal High Court, Abuja, on health ground.
Justice Nyako noted that Kanu was always sitting during trial, an indication, which according to her, could suggest that the IPOB leader was suffering serious ailment which could not be treated in prison.
To this end, she granted the accused bail in the sum of N100m with three sureties in like sum.
The bail conditions include; produce three sureties including a highly respected Jewish leader, produce a highly placed Igbo person, produce a respected person who resides and owns property in Abuja, each surety must deposit N100million, must not attend any rally or grant an interview, must not be in a crowd exceeding 10 persons, to surrender his Nigerian and British passports and must be available for trial at all times
However, the accused IPOB leader may have gone against the grains of the bail conditions , especially as he had severally addressed a crowd of his supporters and also granted interviews.
At the height of this, the military closed up on him and put him under house arrest, a development that sparked mixed reactions from different quarters.
Following the development, Kanu’s supporters cried out over the whereabouts of their leader, accusing the military of having him its custody, a claim the Army denied.
However, in an interview, with a national newspaper (not Blueprint), former Governor of Abia state, Orji Uzor Kalu, claimed the IPOB leader had relocated to London.
He said: “Kanu was not taken away by the military. Kanu went to Malaysia from where he travelled to the United Kingdom. Nnamdi Kanu is in London right now as we speak. He was not arrested by anybody. He left the country on his own.
“One of his relations has spoken to me and explained everything because I wanted to see him and talk to him wherever he was and see how I could meet some Federal Government officials on his issue.
“I also wanted to see ways of talking to the President about him, and find common ground but his family told me that he has left the country unless they are lying to me.
“I believe, whether he had left the country or not, he is not with the military because I asked the Commander of the 14 Brigade, Brig.-Gen. A.K Ibrahim, who is a very fine and good soldier, well educated and dedicated, and he told me that they don’t know his whereabouts and I am sure, the Department of State Services have the same information.”
But, Kanu’s lead lawyer, Ifeanyi Ejiofor, faulted the ex-governor’s claim, describing him as a drowning man desperately in search of relevance from the Federal Government and relief from prosecution on corruption charges.
In a terse statement, the IPOB counsel said, “Kanu is a drowning man looking for where to perch.”
