Court Strikes Out Six of 11 Charges Against Kanu, Others

Wed, Mar 1, 2017 | By publisher


BREAKING NEWS, Judiciary

– 

A FEDERAL high court in Abuja on Wednesday, March 1, struck out six out of the 11 charges instituted against the leader of Indigenous People of Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu, and other persons.

Justice Binta Nyako, struck out the charges as she upheld part of the preliminary objection filed by three of the four defendants in her ruling on Wednesday.

According to the judge, the struck out charges did not call for trial due to lack of evidence in the proof of evidence filed by the prosecution.

The accused were on November 8, 2016, re-arraigned before Justice Binta Nyako on amended 11 counts, comprising terrorism, treasonable felony, managing an unlawful society, publication of defamatory matter, illegal possession of firearms and improper importation of goods.

The accused persons charged along with Kanu were Chidiebere Onwudiwe, the National Coordinator of IPOB, Benjamin Madubugwu and David Nwawuisi, members.

But ruling on the applications by Kanu and two other accused persons on Wednesday, March 1, Nyako held that six of the 11 charges disclosed no prima facie cases and the elements of offences supposedly preferred against the defendants.

The struck out charges contained in Counts 3, 5, 7, and 10, related to management of unlawful organisation, intention to manufacture bomb, improper importation of a radio transmitter.

The judge, in striking out the charge of management of unlawful organisation held that the prosecution had failed to show that IPOB was either unlawful, unregistered or had been proscribed.

Nyako said that the six charges were not supported by the proof of evidence the prosecution adduced against the defendants.

The court, however, sustained five other charges against Kanu and his co-travellers. The sustained charges, to which all the defendants entered a fresh plea of not guilty, borders on conspiracy, treasonable felony, publication of defamatory matter and Kanu’s alleged importation of goods contrary and punishable under section 47(2) (a) of the Customs and Excise Management Act, Cap C45, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004.

The case has been adjourned to March 20 and 21 for trial of the defendants.

—  Mar 1, 2017 @ 19:00 GMT

|

Tags: