Nnamdi Kanu’s co-defendants get conditions to be granted bail

Co-defendants of missing leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu’s, were on Monday granted bail by a Federal High Court Abuja presided over by Justice Binta Nyako.

They are Bright Chimezie; national coordinator of IPOB, Mr. Chidiebere Onwudiwe; an IPOB member, Benjamin Madubugwu; and a former Field Maintenance Engineer seconded to the telecommunication company, MTN, David Nwawuisi.

They are being prosecuted by the Federal Government on three counts of treasonable felony.

Justice Nyako it would be recalled, had on February 20, 2018, ordered that the defendants’ trial be separated from that of the missing Kanu, on the ground that the IPOB leader’s absence from court was hindering progress in the matter.

Therefore, ruling on the defendants’ new bail applications filed sequel to their re-arraignment on March 20, 2018, the trial judge held that the bail applications sailed through on health grounds as well as the number of years they have spent in detention.

She pointed out that Chimezie had earlier been granted bail by the Federal High Court in Uyo in May 2017 but that the Department of State Service (DSS) denied freeing him.

Justice Binta added that the defendants had spent an average of three years in custody when the maximum penalty for the offences they were charged with, should they be convicted ranged from five to seven years.

On the condition for their bail, she gave ruling similar to the ones she gave to Nnamdi Kanu in April last year.

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Among the conditions were that they not grant any press interview or participate in any form of gathering or rally. She also ordered them to produce two sureties each for whom the cash sum of N10 million should be deposited in the court’s account.

The defendants were also instructed to ensure they report to the Commissioners of Police in their various states of residence every two weeks.

Chimezie is to report to the Commissioner of Police, Rivers, Onwudiwe and Nwasuisi Enugu State, while Madubugwu should report to that of Anambra State.

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