By Ikechukwu Nnochiri
ABUJA– The Federal Excessive Court docket in Abuja has slated Friday for the detained chief of the Indigenous Folks of Biafra, IPOB, Nnamdi Kanu, to open his defence to the seven-count terrorism-related cost the Federal Authorities entered in opposition to him.
The case was adjourned to allow Kanu, who had earlier sacked his authorized group, to arrange to personally symbolize himself throughout his defence proceedings.
A former Lawyer Basic of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Kanu Agabi, SAN, who hitherto led the defendant’s authorized group, had on the resumed continuing on Thursday, introduced his withdrawal from the case.
Agabi, SAN, disclosed that the IPOB chief, who has elected to defend himself, took the case file from him and different senior legal professionals who have been a part of his group.
Following Kanu’s affirmation of the event, trial Justice James Omotosho ordered each lawyer that beforehand introduced look for the defendant within the case to vacate the courtroom.
He solely allowed the SANs to stay within the courtroom.
With the legal professionals’ exit, the trial decide ordered Kanu to proceed together with his defence.
In his first submission as his personal lawyer, Kanu challenged the jurisdiction of the courtroom to proceed his trial.
Though the embattled IPOB chief was overruled by Justice Omotosho, who insisted he should open his defence, it took a fast intervention by one of many SANs, Dr. Onyechi Ikpeazu, to steer the courtroom to adjourn the continuing until Friday.
Dr. Ikpeazu drew the eye of the courtroom to the truth that the withdrawal of the previous defence legal professionals took impact on Thursday morning.
He, subsequently, pleaded for the defendant to be granted a short while to assemble his ideas and compose himself for the duty forward.
The request was not opposed by the federal authorities’s group of prosecutors led by Adegboyega Awomolo, SAN.
It is going to be recalled that Kanu, who has been in detention since 2021, had in a contemporary movement he personally signed and filed earlier than the courtroom, named a number of people that included serving governors, ministers, ex-governors and safety chiefs, among the many 23 individuals he intends to supply as his witnesses.
Describing them as important and compellable witnesses in his case, Kanu, urged the courtroom to grant him a 90-day interval to allow him to open and conclude his defence.
He argued that increasing the preliminary six-day interval the courtroom gave him to conclude his defence has develop into vital in view of the quantity and standing of the witnesses he intends to supply to offer proof within the case.
Among the many proposed witnesses within the principal record he submitted earlier than the courtroom, 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 instant previous Lawyer Basic of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami; in addition to a former Chief of Military Employees, Gen. Tukur Buratai (rtd).
Others are the Minister of Works, Dave Umahi; the instant previous Governor of Abia State, Okezie Ikpeazu; a former Minister of Defence, Gen. Theophilus Danjuma (rtd); the instant previous Director-Basic of the Nationwide Intelligence Company, NIA, Ahmed Rufai Abubakar; in addition to the previous Director-Basic of the Division of State Companies, DSS, Yusuf Bichi.
Kanu, within the movement dated October 21 and marked: FHC/ABJ/CR/383/2015, equally hinted that he would name different individuals whose names weren’t on the record he submitted.
He desires the courtroom to difficulty a subpoena (summons) to compel the attendance of all of the proposed witnesses whose proof he mentioned would set up his innocence of the cost in opposition to him.
The submit Court fixes Friday for Nnamdi Kanu to open defence to FG’s terrorism charge appeared first on Vanguard News.
