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Leader of the Indigenous People of Biafran(IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, has challenged the competence of the amended treasonable felony charges brought against him by the Federal Government of Nigeria.
This is even as he was brought to court on Thursday to continue his trial.
The Federal High Court, Abuja, where he is being tried, has therefore fixed November 10 to hear the application filed by Mr Kanu against the charges.
In his application, Kanu is asking the court to dismiss the newly amended seven count charges.
The judge, Binta Nyako, fixed the date after the office of the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) filed the amended charges.
Mrs Nyako also made an order that three people of Mr Kanu’s choice should be allowed to visit him every Thursday.
However, Mr Kanu’s request that he be transferred to Kuje Correctional Centre was rejected by the court.
Earlier, the State Security Service (SSS) brought Mr Kanu to the courtroom on the fifth floor of the Federal High Court edifice in Abuja around 9:45 a.m. surrounded by heavily armed security agents.
Many journalists and lawyers were denied entry into the court premises.
The Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation had, on Monday, filed fresh amended charges of seven counts against Mr Kanu.
Among the charges are treasonable felony and acts of terrorism which he is accused of perpetrating through his separatist activities.
Mr Kanu was granted bail in April 2017, but fled the country after the invasion of his home in Afara-Ukwu, near Umuahia, Abia State, by the military in September that year.
Mrs Nyako subsequently revoked his bail for ditching his trial, and ordered his trial to be separated from the rest of the co-defendants’.
While the trial of the rest of the defendants has made some progress, Mr Kanu’s has been stalled since 2017.
On June 29, 2021, the Attorney-General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, announced that Mr Kanu had been rearrested and brought back to Nigeria to continue his trial.