* Court adjourns case till Feb 16
By Chisaa Okoye
Leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, has pleaded not guilty to the 15 charges bordering on treasonable felony and terrorism, brought against him by the Federal Government of Nigeria.
At the resumed hearing of the case on Wednesday before Justice Binta Nyako of Federal High Court, Abuja, the IPOB leader pleaded not guilty to the amended 15 charges filed by the Nigerian government.
Thereafter, a lawyer to the Nigerian government had sought the permission of the court to open the case on the amended charges, but his request was opposed by Kanu’s lead counsel, Mike Ozekhome, who urged the court to hear the defendant’s pending application for preliminary objection and motion for bail.
Ozekjome also informed the court that the applications had been served on the prosecution.
Justice Nyako reasoned that the application challenging the competency of the charge must be determined first.
Consequently, the judge adjourned till February 16 for hearing of the pending applications.
The federal government had on Monday filed additional terrorism charges against the accused IPOB leader, bringing the charges against him to 15.
Kanu had objected to the fresh charges when the case came up for trial on Tuesday. But the trial judge adjourned till today (Wednesday) for him to take his plea.
The fresh amended charges border on commission of acts of terrorism, felony, incitement, unlawful importation of a radio transmitter, and headship of an illegal organization.