Anxiety as Nnamdi Kanu’s lawyer says FG knows his whereabouts

Anxiety is now trailing today’s hearing of the treason trial of self-acclaimed leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, before Justice Binta Murtala-Nyako of the Federal High Court in Abuja.

Fears also heightened on Monday as the lawyer to Kanu, Mr Ifeanyi Ejiofor, insisted that the federal government knows the whereabouts of his client.

Controversy has continued to trail the alleged military raid of Kanu’s Afara-ukwu residence in Umuahia, Abia State on September 14, 2017 while nobody is able to ascertain the whereabouts of the IPOB leader and his father.
But the military had repeatedly claimed that Kanu is not in its custody.

Speaking during a telephone interview with The Daily Times last night, Ejiofor insisted that the federal government, which he claims is holding his client, would bring him to court to defend himself in today’s trial.

He said: “We have filed a suit at the court asking the federal government to produce him in court. It is obvious that the federal government will bring him to court to defend himself because it is the government that is holding him.

The government knows where he is. I am fully convinced it (the federal government) will bring him to court”.
When asked what would be the fate of Kanu’s sureties if the IPOB leader failed to appear to day, Ejiofor replied that those who stood as sureties for Kanu have nothing to fear on the grounds that the federal government would produce his client.

But The Daily Times learnt that there are palpable fears among Kanu’s sureties in case he failed to turn up in court today .

The three sureties are the Chairman, Senate’s South East Caucus, Senator Eyinnaya Abaribe, a Jewish priest, Immanuu-El Shalom and an accountant and Abuja resident, Tochukwu Uchendu. .
It was gathered that the sureties risk taking the place of Kanu or forfeit to the federal government, the N100million bond signed on behalf of the IPOB leader in case he jumps bail.

But speaking on the legal implication of his client’s likely failure to appear in court today, Ejiofor said that the sureties have nothing to do with the proceedings of the court as he claimed that federal government is responsible for his client whereabouts.

The Daily Times recalls that Kanu had on April 28, 2017 fulfilled the stringent bail conditions granted him by Justice Nyako when the sureties signed the said N100million bond
Justice Nyako had further directed Kanu not to attend any rally or grant an interview and must not be in a crowd exceeding 10 persons.

But the federal government later filed an application, asking the court to revoke the bail conditions on the
grounds that Kanu had broken all the conditions attached to his bail. This was the prevailing situation before the confusion trailing his whereabouts emerged couple of weeks ago.