All is now set for the Supreme Court to deliver judgment to decide the fate of the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, Nnamdi Kanu, today, Friday.
Kanu has been in detention since June 2021 when he was rearrested in Kenya and subjected to extraordinary rendition to Nigeria.
With his return, the Nigerian Government arraigned him before the Federal High Court in Abuja on a four-count charge of treasonable felony, conspiracy to commit treasonable felony, illegal importation of radio equipment, and defamation of former President Muhammadu Buhari.
The charges were later withdrawn by former Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami who replaced them with a fresh 14-count charge bordering on terrorism and membership of a proscribed group.
The court reduced the charges to seven counts which the Appeal Court later quashed.
Displeased by the verdict of the Appeal Court, the Nigerian Government filed an appeal at the Supreme 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.”
