A High Court in Abia State has ordered the Federal Government to pay the sum of N1 billion to the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu, and issue a letter of apology to him.
In the ruling delivered on Wednesday, the Court stated that the Federal Government violated the IPOB leader’s fundamental rights.
The Court also recommended political solution to the agitation for the restoration of the defunct Biafra Republic championed by IPOB.
Kanu’s lawyer, Aloy Ejimakor, made this known in a tweet, saying, “Mazi Nnamdi Kanu WINS as Abia High Court rules that the Federal Government violated his fundamental rights. Orders the Federal government to pay N1b to him and issue a letter of apology to him.
Meanwhile, the detained leader of the IPOB, has also on Wednesday, pleaded not guilty to the fresh amended 15-count treasonable felony charge the Federal Government preferred against him.
Kanu, who was brought into the courtroom around 10:15am, said he was innocent of all the allegations FG levelled against him, even as he complained from the dock that some counts in the amended charge were similar.
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.
On his part, FG’s lawyer, Labaran, argued that the two applications by Kanu were not ripe for hearing, stressing that he would require time to go through them so as to be able to respond.
In a brief ruling, Justice Nyako noted that since Kanu’s first application is challenging the propriety of his trial as well as 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, 2021 to hear the pending application.