Less than 24 hours after a group of Igbo intellectuals called for the release of Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, Justice Binta Nyako of the Federal High Court, Abuja, has struck out six of the eleven-count charges brought against him by the federal government.
In her ruling on Wednesday, Justice Nyako held that the prosecution has failed to provide any evidence before the court to validate the allegations made against the pro-Biafran leader.
The dismissed charges include counts 3, 5, 7, 9, 10 and 11, which borders on belonging to unlawful society, illegal importation of radio transmitters and researching on the internet on how to make improvised explosive devices, IEDs, among others.
The trial judge ordered that Kanu be re-arraigned on the remaining five count charges of alleged treasonable felony.
Just few hours ago on Tuesday, a pan-Igbo group called ‘Nzuko Umunna’ had released a statement urging the government to release Kanu as part of efforts at achieving lasting peace in the country.
Reading out the statement, former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria,CBN, Charles Soludo, flanked by former presidential aspirant, Pat Utomi,described Kanu’s continued detention as unlawful, while also condemning the killing of IPOB members in the South East.
“We demand the urgent release of Nnamdi Kanu, and his colleagues as part of the process of engineering a new Nigeria.
“No citizen of Nigeria deserves the treatment that is being meted to Nnamdi Kanu and his colleagues.
“Nnamdi Kanu is not above the law, and he should not be put below the law,” Soludo said.