Court Awards N1bn Damage Against FG Over Military Invasion Of Kanu's Home In Abia

•••As IPOB Leader Pleads Not Guilty To 15-Count Treasonable Felony Charge

•Kanu when he was abducted from Kenya

| The Daily Crucible |  Wednesday, January 19, 2022

An Abia State High Court sitting in Umuahia, the state capital has awarded N1bn damage in favour of leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu against the Federal Government.

The State Court presided over by Hon. Justice Benson Anya awarded the damage on Wednesday.

Kanu had through his lawyer, Aloy Ejimakor approached the court seeking N5bn damage against the Federal Government over the invasion of his father’s house on September 10, 2017 by a detachment of Nigerian soldiers.

Hon. Justice Anya described the invasion of Kanu’s Afaraukwu home as notorious and brazen.

Meanwhile, the detained leader of the IPOB, Nnamdi Kanu, has pleaded not guilty to the fresh amended 15-count treasonable felony charge the Federal Government brought against him.

Kanu, who was brought into the courtroom around 10:15am, in Abuja, said he was innocent of all the allegations FG levelled against him, pointing out from the dock that some counts in the amended charge were similar.

Meanwhile, immediately the embattled IPOB leader finished taking his plea, the Prosecution counsel, Mr. Shuaibu Labaran, told the court that he was ready to proceed with the trial, adding that he brought two witnesses to testify against the Defendant.

 

However, Kanu’s lead counsel, Chief Mike Ozekhome, SAN, told the court that he had on Tuesday evening, filed a 43-paged Preliminary Objection for the charge to be quashed and struck out without the matter proceeding to trial.

“We are further asking that the Defendant should be discharged and acquitted as there is nothing in this charge. It has no basis at all.

“We also have a motion requesting the court to grant bail to the Defendant”, Ozekhome added.

But FG’s counsel, Labaran, argued that Kanu’s two applications were not ripe for hearing, stressing that he would require time to go through them so as to be able to respond.

“In essence, business of the day cannot be allowed to be truncated by these applications,” he argued.

Ruling after listening to arguments of both parties, Justice Nyako said since Kanu’s first application is challenging the propriety of his trial  and competence of the charge against him, the court ought to hear it first.

“As for the second motion (on the issue of bail), I don’t even want to talk about it, at least not at this stage,” Justice Nyako held.

The court subsequently adjourned till February 16 to hear the pending application.