By Vivian Okejeme
Abuja
Justice Binta Nyako of the Federal High Court in Abuja, yesterday, fixed April 25, to rule on whether or not the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Mr. Nnamdi Kanu, and three others should be released on bail pending their trial.
The defendants who are answering to five-count criminal charge the federal government preferred against them, through their respective lawyers, prayed the court to grant them bail.
The accused insisted that all the allegations FG levelled against them were bailable offences.
Counsel to Kanu, Mr. Ifeanyi Ejiofor, maintained that the court had in a ruling on March 1, struck out six out of 11-count charge the federal government initially slammed against the defendants.
He noted that charges that were struck out by the court bordered on criminal conspiracy and alleged involvement of the defendants in acts of terrorism.
Counsel to other defendants supported Ejiofor’s submission.
They maintained that going by the pending five charges, they no longer posed security threat to warrant their continued detention.
The court struck out counts 3, 6, 7, 9, 10 and 11 of the charges, and sustained counts 1, 2, 4, 5 and 8.
Meanwhile, Justice Nyako also fixed April 6 to determine merit of application by the defendants, asking her to vary the order that gave the federal government the nod to shield identities of all the witnesses billed to testify against them.
The trial Judge not only okayed the witnesses to testify behind a screen, she also granted an order permitting them to use pseudo-names.
They, therefore, applied for a review of the ruling, saying they would not submit themselves to any form of secret trial.
