A Chief Magistrates’ Court in Abuja yesterday struck out a one-count criminal charge brought against the director of Radio Biafra and leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Mr. Nnamdi Kanu, by the federal government.
The chief magistrate, Mr. Shauibu Usman, in a ruling, struck out the case following a motion to that effect filed and argued by the prosecuting lawyer, Mr. Moses Idakwo.
Usman’s ruling is in line with the request by the Department of the State Services (DSS) to drop the charges against the Biafra activist in order to enable it pursue his trial at a Federal High Court (FHC) that has original jurisdiction on terrorism.
The DSS had argued that the Magistrates’ Court lacked the jurisdiction, since it had obtained the FHC order to detain him for 90 days based on terrorism charges.
Before the case was struck out, Kanu had been put on trial on criminal conspiracy, managing and belonging to an unlawful society and criminal intimidation contrary to Sections 97, 97B and 397 of the Penal Code.
The fact of the case, according to the DSS report, was that the accused formed an unlawful society with the purpose of bringing into being a Republic of Biafra.
He was alleged to have proclaimed himself as the leader of the Republic of Biafra and established a Radio of Biafra.