…Hearing fixed for Monday
The Federal Government has filed an amended seven counts of terrorism charges against the detained leader of the outlawed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, at the Federal High Court, Abuja.
The amended charges marked FHC/ABJ/CR/383/2015, were entered before the Federal High Court in Abuja, and contained all earlier sustained allegations against the IPOB leader.
Justice Binta Nyako of the Federal High Court, Abuja has subsequently fixed next Monday for Kanu’s team of lawyers and the FG’s prosecution team to address the court on whether government could proceed to re-arraign the IPOB leader on the amended charges despite the October 13 judgment of the Court of Appeal that freed him.
In the amended charges, government alleged that Kanu had issued a deadly threat via a broadcast, heard and received across the country, that anyone who disobeyed his sit-at-home order in the South-eastern states should write his or her will.
It also contended that the resulting effect of the broadcast had caused banks, schools, markets, shopping malls, fuel stations in the Eastern states of the country to shut down their business operations, affecting citizens and leading to grounding of vehicular movements.
The FG further alleged that Kanu had between 2018 and 2021, made inciting broadcasts, received and heard in Nigeria, instigating the public to hunt and kill Nigerian security personnel and their family members, thereby committing an offence punishable under Section 1 (2) (h) of the Terrorism Prevention Amendment Act, 2013.
Also, the FG alleged that between March and April 2015, Kanu imported into Nigeria and kept in Ubulisiuzor in Ihiala Local Government Area of Anambra State, a radio transmitter known as Tram 50L, concealed in a container of used household items, thereby, committing an offence contrary to section 47 (2) (a) of Criminal Code Act Cap, C45 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004, adding that he also directed members of IPOB “to manufacture bombs.”