Abuja high court strikes out six fresh charges brought against Ipob leader Nnamdi Kanu

INDIGENOUS People of Biafra (Ipob) leader Nnamdi Kanu has secured a significant legal victory today after the federal high court in Abuja struck out a fresh six-count amended charge brought against him by the federal government.

Highly controversial, Mr Kanu has been campaigning for the recreation of the independent republic of Biafra which broke away from Nigeria between July 1967 and January 1970 during the civil war. His campaign, which has led to the phenomenal growth of Ipob, has set him at odds with the Nigerian government who him arrested and put on trial for treason.

While the case was still pending, Mr Kanu was granted bail in April 2017 on health grounds but skipped his bail after flouting the conditions given to him by the court and fled Nigeria. In a dramatic development, in June last year, Mr Kanu was abducted in Kenya and flown to Nigeria, where he has since been arrayed in court in Abuja, with fresh charges added to the pending ones.

At today's hearing, Justice Binta Nyako of the Federal High Court, Abuja, struck out the new  six charges following their withdrawal by counsel to the federal government, Adamu Kaatu. Citing the need for the government to open the trial of Mr Kanu after years of delay, Mr Kaatu opted to withdraw the new charges when it was discovered that the trial cannot be opened when an amended charge is pending.

Apparently desperate that witnesses be called to give evidence against Mr Kanu, the government lawyer hurriedly applied for the withdrawal which was not opposed by Mike Ozekhome, standing for the defendant. Justice Nyako, in a brief ruling, struck out the amended charge to pave way for the federal government to open its case against Kanu.

Nigeria's federal government has amended charges against Mr Kanu six times since his original arraignment in 2015. Mr Kanu's trial has proven to be problematic for the government, however, as his supporters shut down the southeast geo-political zone every Monday to protest his arrest.