Justice Adeniyi Ademola of the Federal High Court, Abuja on Thursday ordered the immediate release of Nnamdi Kanu, Director of Radio Biafra and leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).
The court held that the continued detention of Kanu by the Department of States Services (DSS) was unlawful.
On Wednesday, Justice Shuaibu Usman of the Magistrate Court in Wuse zone 2, Abuja, discharged Kanu on all counts of criminal conspiracy, intimidation and leading an unlawful society brought against him by the Federal Government.
The government through the DSS, had elected to withdraw the case at the lower court for a higher court, which has jurisdiction to entertain charges bordering on terrorism, to take over.
The DSS has held Kanu for at least 90 days despite an order granting him bail in October.
After the lower court granted him bail, DSS got an order of the Federal high court, Abuja, to keep the self-styled leader of IPOB in detention.
But his lawyer Vincent Obetta, filed a counter application, seeking bail for the accused person.
A wave of protests, engineered by IPOB, had swept through the Southeast a few days ago and in Lagos on Wednesday owing to the continued detention of Kanu. IPOB is demanding an immediate and unconditional release of its leader.
-TheCable