Nnamdi Kanu’s Legal Team to Seek Bail on February 26

Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), is set to have his legal team move for his release on bail on February 26, pending the determination of his trial at the Federal High Court in Abuja.

Kanu has been in detention since June 2021, following his extradition from Kenya.

While the Appeal Court initially acquitted Kanu of all charges related to terrorism, the Supreme Court overturned the ruling in December 2023, leading to the resumption of his trial at the Abuja Federal High Court.

The legal team’s argument for bail will focus on several factors, including Kanu’s lack of privacy during visitations with his lawyers, which they claim infringes on his constitutional right to counsel.

They will also highlight his long period of pretrial detention, totaling over four years, and his life-threatening medical conditions, such as a heart ailment, hypertension, and potassium deficiency.

Prince Emmanuel Kanu, Nnamdi Kanu’s brother, has provided an affidavit in support of the bail motion, detailing Kanu’s previous arrest, release on bail in 2017, and subsequent escape following a military assault on his home in 2017.

The motion for bail is brought under various sections of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, and the legal team is seeking the court’s approval for Kanu’s release on “liberal and non-excessive terms.”