By Newsie Events Media
Following the failure of the Directorate of State Services, (DSS) to produce the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra IPOB, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu in court on Monday, Justice Binta Nyako of the Federal High Court, Abuja has adjourned the trial to October 21. 2021.
When the matter was called up, the prosecution counsel, M. B. Abubakar, informed the court that the matter was slated for hearing and that they were ready to continue.
Nnamdi Kanu’s lawyer, Ifeanyi Ejiofor, then informed the court that there was a pending application before the court to transfer Kanu from the custody of the Department of State Services (DSS) to a correctional centre.
Justice Binta Nyako stated that the trial cannot continue in the absence of the IPOB leader since he was not available to stand his trial.
The court adjourned to October 21, 2021, for continuation of hearing.
Ejiofor, leading counsel for Nnamdi Kanu had told the court that the Department of State Services (DSS) had denied him and relatives of Kanu the opportunity to see him.
He said, “I was informed authoritatively, I am speaking from the bar, that Nnamdi Kanu has been taken out of jurisdiction of this court.
“We have been denied access to Kanu in the last 10 days.
“We are worried about his safety and don’t know why the Federal Government refused to bring him in court.”
Mr Ejiofor said Mr Kanu should not be allowed to suffer perpetually in SSS custody because of the long vacation that judges will be embarking upon from this month until mid-October.
Mr Kanu was abducted by Nigerian agents in Kenya and repatriated to Nigeria on June 29.
The development has received widespread controversy, with rights activists said the Buhari regime had violated international rights law by abducting the frontline separatist agitator, who was carrying a British passport at the time of his arrest in Nairobi.
The regime, however, pushed back against the criticism, saying Mr Kanu was only “intercepted” in order to bring him to justice, four years after fleeing Nigeria while on court bail.
His lawyers also rejected the government’s argument, saying Mr Kanu fled because his home was invaded and dozens of his relatives shot dead by Nigerian soldiers in September 2017.
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