The Supreme Court is set to deliver a judgment today, Friday, that will determine the fate of Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).
Kanu has been held in detention since June 2021, when he was rearrested in Kenya and illegally brought back to Nigeria.
The Nigerian Government charged Kanu with four offenses before the Federal High Court in Abuja, including treasonable felony, conspiracy to commit treasonable felony, illegal importation of radio equipment, and defamation of former President Muhammadu Buhari.
These charges were later withdrawn by the former Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, and replaced with 14 new charges relating to terrorism and membership in a proscribed group.
The court then reduced these charges to seven counts, which were later overturned by the Appeal Court.
Commenting on the much-anticipated judgment, an Abuja-based socio-political activist, Deji Adeyanju, said the Supreme Court should admit Kanu to bail.
He said: “My hope is that the Supreme Court will deliver a judgment that is acceptable to everyone, but no matter what the Supreme Court delivers, it will not be acceptable to some.
“In the case of Ojukwu vs the Lagos State government, once the right-thinking members of the public go home believing that the judiciary is biased, then it defeats the purpose for which the judiciary was set up. Our appeal to our judges is that they should deliver a judgment that will make citizens have confidence in the judiciary.
“Politicians must not be bad losers, they must learn to accept defeat when they lose elections.
“Kanu should be admitted to bail; bail is not an escape from justice. It’s an opportunity for the defendant to amply defend himself. In my view, this idea of turning people into political prisoners is unacceptable.”
