By Just In! Abaribe Begs Court To Discharge Him As IPOB Leader, Nnamdi Kanu’s Surety
Fresh reports from the Federal Capital Territory confirms that Senator Enyinaya Abaribe has pleaded in a Federal High Court to discharge him as a surety of the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) Nnamdi Kanu.
His plea is coming weeks after the whereabout of the secessionist leader became unknown. It will be recalled that Senator Abaribe of Abia South Senatorial District is among the three sureties admitted to sign Kanu’s bail bond in April after Justice Binta Nyako granted him bail from Kuje detention.
BlackBox Nigeria gathered from a source in Abuja that Senator Abaribe’s counsel, Mr Ogechi Ogunna appeared before the presiding judge, Justice Nyako and disclosed that his client had no knowledge of Kanu’s whereabouts and have filed a motion seeking to be discharged as a surety for the defendant.
In responding to the plea, Justice Nyako gave the lawmaker three options: produce the defendant in Court and then apply to be discharged as a surety; be ready to forfeit his N100m bail; or ask to be given time to produce the defendant.
Abaribe whose plea to be discharged and refund of his N100m was not granted as Justice Nyako told him to opt for either of the three options. His absence however prompted his lawyer not to be pick of the options, as he was not in a position to do any of them.
Mr Ogunna claimed that Nnamdi Kanu, who is also the Director of London-based Radio Biafra has not been seen since troops of the Nigerian Army invaded his Abia residence on September 14th.
“Since the aforestated visit of the Nigerian army to the residence of the first defendant from September 11, 2017, the second respondent in this suit has not been seen again nor reached on phone the applicant neither is he reported in any news media as seen by any person nor made any statement on any issue,” the senator said in his application.
“The activities of the Nigerian army as affecting the first respondent are matters of state secret incapable of being unravelled by the applicant which activities have put the second respondent out of the reach of the applicant such that the applicant cannot reasonably be expected to produce the second respondent before this court at any subsequent date.
“The applicant lacks the capacity to produce a person stated by the first respondent to be a member of a terrorist organization or any person who the first respondent is reported to be interested in his whereabouts in the aftermath of the military operation in Abia state.”
