Picnews
The courtroom was a pressure cooker on Thursday, November 20, 2025, when Justice John Omotosho slammed the door on Nnamdi Kanu’s latest bid for bail. The IPOB leader, flanked by his legal team, tried to argue that a string of “concurrent judgments” from higher courts should tip the scales in his favor, but the judge was having none of it. He reminded everyone that the same issues had been raised repeatedly and that the application simply didn’t fit the narrow window where bail is granted either pending trial or pending appeal. The tension boiled over when Kanu, visibly irritated, raised his voice and demanded to be heard, prompting security to escort him out of the room – a scene that left journalists and onlookers buzzing.
Justice Omotosho’s ruling echoed the earlier stance taken by Justice Binta Nyako, who had already dismissed a similar bail request just a few months earlier. Nyako had stressed that Kanu still needed to explain why he breached the bail granted in 2019, a condition that the court deemed unmet despite the health concerns his lawyers highlighted. The judge noted that the IPOB leader’s previous disappearance had forced the court to revoke his bail, and that the current application amounted to an abuse of process, essentially trying to relitigate a matter already decided.
Kanu’s defence team, led by senior counsel Mike Ozekhome and later Alloy Ejimakor, had argued that his deteriorating health – hypertension, heart disease and the lack of adequate medical facilities at the DSS – warranted a more lenient approach. They even presented photographs and an affidavit sworn in Israel after his alleged flight from the country. However, the prosecution, represented by Chief Adegboyega Awomolo, countered that there was no guarantee Kanu would not jump bail again, pointing to his 2019 escape as evidence. The court agreed, noting that the DSS does have a medical unit capable of handling his condition and that the seriousness of the seven‑count treasonable felony charge outweighed the health arguments.
In the end, the judge ordered an accelerated hearing of the case, signalling that the trial will move forward without further interruptions. While Kanu can still appeal the decision, the court made it clear that any future bail requests will have to overcome the hurdle of explaining the earlier breach and providing a compelling reason that wasn’t already considered. The drama in the Federal High Court has once again put the IPOB leader’s fate under the national spotlight, and everyone is watching to see how the next chapter unfolds.
