A Magistrate Court sitting in Abuja on Wednesday struck out all suits filed against the director of Radio Biafra and founder of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu.
Magistrate Shuaibu Usman struck out all criminal charges levelled against Kanu after counsel to the Department of State Services (DSS), Moses Idakwo, filed for discontinuation of the matter on the instruction of his client.
“The accused person is hereby discharged and the case struck out,” the Magistrate declared.
Usman said since the DSS, through its lawyer, had filed for a discontinuation of the case, he had no option than to discharge the accused.
Idakwo said further investigations by the DSS had shown that charges against Kanu could not be entertained by a Magistrate Court due to lack of jurisdiction.
Kanu still has a case pending at the Federal High Court.
At the hearing of the case on Monday, Idakwo told a Federal High Court in Abuja that Kanu was sponsoring terrorism against Nigeria.
He asked the court to disregard a bail application by Kanu’s counsel, Vincent Obetta, as the matter involving his client was terrorism-related.
He said the DSS had evidence of bank accounts owned by the accused person where monies (both in dollars and pound sterling) were allegedly used for financing acts of terrorism against the country.
Idakwo told the court that Kanu had dual citizenship of Britain and Nigeria and therefore could flee and escape justice if granted bail.
After hearing the arguments of the two counsel regarding the bail application, the judge said he would look into the matter, setting aside Thursday, December 17, to deliver ruling on Kanu’s bail.
Kanu had been in detention since his arrest on October 17 by the DSS.
There has been a wave of protests by IPOB as well as the Movement for the Actualization of Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB) in the South East and parts of the South South for Kanu’s immediate and unconditional release resulting in loss of lives and disruption of business activities in the affected zones.
