* To remain in custody till July 26
Leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, disclosed on Tuesday that he might have been killed if he did not jump bail and escaped from the country in 2017.
Kanu disclosed this intention to speak when he was arraigned before Justice Binta Nyako of the Federal High Court in Abuja.
He told the court that he decided to go underground because his house was raided but he was able to escape.
Kanu said if he had not escaped, he might have been killed like other members of the group.
The judge, who advised him not to feel discomfiture to stand his trial, urged him to get across to his lawyer for the trial.
The counsel to the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF), Shuaibu Labaran, had earlier told the court that the defendant (Kanu), who jumped bail, had been arrested and produced in court.
Labaran urged the court for an order detaining the arrested IPOB leader at the DSS facility pending the hearing and determination of the matter.
Justice Nyako, who granted the plea, adjourned the matter until July 26 for trial continuation.
The Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr. Abubakar Malami (SAN), revealed how Kanu was arrested and repatriated to Nigeria on Sunday.
He said the arrest followed a collaborative effort between security agencies in Nigeria and the Interpol.
The IPOB was in 2017declared a terrorist group by President Muhammadu Buhari following which Nnamdi Kanu was arrested by security operatives.
Kanu was facing a treason and terrorism charges before Justice Binta Nyako of the Federal High Court, Abuja, and was granted bail in April 2017 on health grounds.
As part of the bail conditions, Kanu was required to produce three sureties who would sign a bail bond of N100 million, which they would stand to forfeit should the accused person jump bail.
He was subsequently released on bail and the following persons stood surety for him: Enyinnaya Abaribe, the Senator representing Abia South Senatorial District; Ben El-Shalom, a Jewish priest, and Tochukwu Uchendu, an accountant.
However, Kanu’s whereabouts had been unknown since September 2017, when soldiers reportedly raided his home in Umuahia, the Abia State capital, following the proscribing of the IPOB by the Federal government.
Kanu has caused reactions as a result of his controversial statements for the alleged freedom of the Igbo people and the setting up of the Eastern Security Network (ESN) w.
Just recently, a coalition of 75 Northern groups under the aegis of Northern Consensus Movement placed a N100 million bounty on Kanu, which would be the reward for anybody who could produce the IPOB leader.
Meanwhile, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Chief Mike Ahamba (SAN), has allayed fears that arrest of the leader of IPOB will portend danger to the unity of the country.
Ahamba said the implication is that he was arrested and he will be tried.
“It does not portend any danger to the country, If he is guilty he will be declared guilty and if he is not he will be declared not guilty, all he needs to do is to get good lawyers to go and defend him.
“It will not increase the tense situation; all he needs to do is to defend himself. It will provide him the opportunity to tell his story,” Ahamba said.
He however advised the Federal Government to manage the situation well.