….I’ll consult my lawyers, says Kanu
By Ikechukwu Nnochiri
ABUJA–The Federal High Court sitting in Abuja, on Wednesday, said it would give the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, Nnamdi Kanu, one last opportunity to defend the seven-count terrorism charge the Federal Government entered against him.
Consequently, trial Justice James Omotosho adjourned the case till November 7 for the defendant to open his defence as he was previously ordered to do by the court.
The trial judge warned that he would foreclose Kanu’s right should he fail to enter his defence on the next adjourned date.
He said the decision was anchored on tenets of justice that required that the defendant should be granted sufficient opportunity to exonerate himself.
“We had adjourned till today for the defendant to put in his defence or be deemed closed. But, I am bound to give him another opportunity to put in his defence.
“If he does not, I will deem him closed. I know that he is an Economist and not a lawyer.
“I will give the last opportunity to the defendant to put in his defence, failure of which he would be deemed closed,” Justice Omotosho held.
The development came after Kanu, who is conducting his case by himself after he disengaged his legal team, reaffirmed his position that he had no case to answer.
The embattled IPOB leader had after the case was called up, addressed the court from the dock.
He reiterated the reasons he elected not to open his defence, insisting that the charge pending against him was invalid as it was based on what he described as a “repealed and non-existent law.”
Kanu maintained that the Supreme Court had on the day it okayed his trial, directed that the charge against him should be amended.
He said the apex court based its decision on the fact that the charge was legally defective.
According to the defendant, in disobedience to Supreme Court’s directive, FG docked him on the same charge without effecting the necessary amendments.
He insisted that the FG’s refusal to amend the charge was fatal to his trial which he said could not be predicated on a repealed law.
“Terrorism Prevention and Prohibition Act has been repealed. I cannot put in defense under a repealed law. I won’t do that,” Kanu added.
On his part, FG’s lawyer, Chief Adegboyega Awomolo, SAN, urged the court to go ahead and foreclose Kanu’s defence.
The prosecution counsel drew the attention of the court to the fact that the defendant had wasted five out of the six days that was slated for his defence.
He argued that Kanu’s insistence that the charge was defective reflected his conclusive stance not to open his defence as directed.
Therefore, FG’s lawyer prayed the court to close the defence and order parties to file their final written addresses, a precursor to the delivery of judgement in the matter.
However, following Justice Omotosho’s intervention, having declared the court’s willingness to grant one more adjournment, Kanu, asked to be allowed to consult four lawyers that hitherto represented him in the case.
He gave names of the lawyers he described as his consultants, as; Nnaemeka Ejiofor, Aloy Ejimakor, Maxwell Okpara and Mandela Umegborogu.
Justice Omotosho, who acceded to the request, however cautioned the lawyers to refrain from discussing the court proceedings in the media.
The caution followed a complaint by the prosecution counsel, Awomolo, SAN, who accused Kanu’s former lawyers of granting media interviews and making prejudicial posts on social media in relation to the case.
It will be recalled that the court had on October 24, ordered the IPOB leader to open his defence to the charge against him.
However, Kanu, who earlier named several individuals that included serving Governors, Ministers, ex-Governors and Security Chiefs, among the 23 persons he intended to produce as his witnesses, later made a volte farce and shelved his plan to defend the charge.
Kanu, who has been in detention since 2021, had initially prayed the court to grant him a 90-day period for the witnesses he described as vital, to testify in the matter.
Among his earlier proposed witnesses included the Governor of Imo state, Hope Uzodimma; that of Lagos state, Babajide Sanwo-Olu; Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Nyesom Wike; the immediate past Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami; as well as a former Chief of Army Staff, Gen. Tukur Buratai (rtd).
Others were the Minister of Works, Dave Umahi; the immediate past Governor of Abia State, Okezie Ikpeazu; a former Minister of Defence, Gen. Theophilus Danjuma (rtd); immediate past former Director-General of the National Intelligence Agency, NIA, Ahmed Rufai Abubakar; as well as the former Director-General of the Department of State Services, DSS, Yusuf Bichi.
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