Ifeanyi Ejiofor, lawyer to leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, Nnamdi Kanu, has reacted to the move by the Nigerian Government to revoke his client’s bail.
Ejiofor described the threat as “misconceived.”
Attorney-General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, had on Friday demanded the revocation of Nnamdi Kanu’s bail granted in April by Justice Binta Nyako-led Federal High Court in Abuja.
The AGF said that the IPOB leader was exhibiting flagrant disobedience of court orders on his bail conditions.
However, Ejiofor said that his client had “successfully challenged the bail conditions referred to by the government”.
“Though we intend to file a formal response to their most misconceived motion, it is my position that it does not lie in the power of the AG to ask for the revocation of the bail granted to my client.
“The prosecution can’t be seen at the same time as the persecutors”, he told Premium Times.
“We have successfully challenged the bail terms we considered offensive to our clients constitutionally guaranteed rights. So their recent application is belated.
“Section 169 of the ACJA being relied upon by the AG can’t avail the Attorney General absolute power to ask for the revocation of bail. Parties must be heard on the merit by the court.”
Ejiofor also said the alleged security outfit created by Nnamdi Kanu is a “mere group” formed in the exercise of the citizen’s constitutional right.
He added that the group cannot “by any stretch of the imagination” constitute themselves into a security threat.
“Let the federal government open their case if they have any genuine charge against my client. They are beating about the bush because they have no case against my client.
“Let me remind the public that the main essence of bail is to ensure that the person affected stands his trial and nothing more.
“Our client is ready to stand his trial but the federal government is not willing to open their case, they are rather interested in keeping my client behind bars which can’t happen again.”