The federal high court sitting judge in Abuja has denied the bail request filed by the leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu.
On Wednesday, May 18, 2022, Justice Binta Nyako ruled that the detained IPOB leader must explain the reason why he fled Nigeria when he was granted bail in 2017 before applying for another one.
Kanu, who is being charged with treason and terrorism, fled Nigeria to a foreign nation in 2017.
The suspect was rearrested and extradited to Nigeria by the federal government in June 2021. He has been in the custody of the Department of State Security (DSS) since then.
The IPOB leader filed a bail application before the federal high court, saying that his health is deteriorating in detention. He also accused the federal government of forcefully abducting him from abroad.
The court had, on April 8, 2022, exonerated the Federal Government on the allegation that the leader of the IPOB was forcefully abducted abroad to stand trial.
The court ruled that Kanu must give a genuine reason why he jumped bail in 2017 before another can be granted.