Justice Binta Nyako of the Federal High Court Abuja yesterday admitted four members of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) to bail in the sum of N10 million each.
The four admitted to bail are; Bright Chimezie, Chidiebere Onwudiwe, David Nwawuisdi and Benjamin Madubugwu to bail.
Messrs Chimezie, Onwudiwe, Madubugwu and Nwawuisi, aged between 33 and, are facing three-count charge of conspiracy to commit treasonable felony and illegal possession of firearms.
They were all arrested in 2016 and had been in detention since then.
They were charged along with the former leader of the IPOB, Nnamdi Kanu, who has not been seen since September 22, 2017 Nyako in granting them bail, said she had carefully considered the consolidated application for bail submitted by their counsel and the number of years they had spent in prison custody.
She also made reference to the defendants health status as well as the ruling she had read of “a sister judge’’ as well as the Administration of Criminal Justice Act,(ACJA)2015. In considering their bail, Justice Nyako ordered the defendants to deposit monetary sum of N10 million each with the Chief Registrar of the court.
The judge ordered that they were not to be seen in any gathering at any time or granting journalists interviews or any type of interviews.
“No welcome `oyoyo’ gathering. If you do that, you will be sent back to prison.
Go home, be with your family, come to court. The trial hascommenced,” Nyako said.
At the prayer of the defence counsel, Ifeanyi Ejiofor, the judge ordered the defendants to report to the Commissioner of Police at their locality every two weeks, instead of Abuja. She ordered the first defendant, Chimezie to report to the Commissioner of Police, Rivers while the second defendant, Onwudiwe and the fourth, Nwawuisdi, were ordered report to the Commissioner of Police, Enugu state.
She then said the third, Benjamin Madubugwu, should report to the Commissioner of Police in Anambra.
Justice Nyako, in response, assured them that they were under the custody of the court and adjourned the commencement of trial to November 14.