THE leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) Nnamdi Kanu has told an Abuja Federal High Court that he jumped bail because he believed he would have been killed if he had not fled the country.
Kanu, who was re-arraigned in court on Tuesday shortly after Minister of Justice Abubakar Malami announced his re-arrest, told the court that he had to leave after soldiers raided his residence in Umuahia, Abia State, in 2017.
He stressed that the invasion of his residence by the Nigerian Army was the reason for his prolonged absence from court.
Reacting, the presiding judge, Binta Nyako said he should not have jumped bail.
Nyako ruled that Kanu should be kept in the custody of the State Security Services (SSS). She also told the IPOB leader to consult his lawyers ahead of the next adjourned date.
Kanu was first arrested in October 2015 for demanding the secession of Biafra from Nigeria. He was later granted bail on April 25, 2017.
The IPOB leader’s bail application was granted by the court on health grounds. He was asked to present three sureties – a serving senator, a Jewish religious leader and a highly respected person who must own a landed property in Abuja.
In September 2017, Kanu went missing after his Umuahia family house was invaded by men of the Nigeria Army.
It was initially alleged that the Nigerian government was keeping the leader of the separatist group in captivity but the government dismissed the allegations.
Months after his disappearance, Kanu was seen in public for the first time in Jerusalem on October 18, 2018.
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