•Incarcerated IPOB leader, Nnamdi Kanu and his lawyers
Members of the legal team representing the leader of Indigenous People of Biafra ( IPOB ) described the continued detention of Nnamdi Kanu by the Nigerian government as political and unacceptable.
The legal team which include; Aloy Ejimakor, Esq. Nnaemeka Ejiofor, Esq. Maxwell Opara, Esq. Jude Okey Ugwuanyi, Esq. Patrick Agazie, Esq. Mandela Umegborogu, Esq. and Magnus Ikenna Nwangwu, Esq.
The lawyers said that considering what Nnamdi Kanu has passed through for almost a decade has revealed that his case
has turned from a trial by the Constitution to a trial by ordeal, reports Daily Independent.
They disclosed this in a joint statement made available to journalists yesterday in Abuja at a press conference on the flagrant disobedience of Supreme Court orders by the Nigerian government that condemned the revocation of Nnamdi Kanu’s bail.
They say that the undue delay by the Nigerian government and the judiciary not to hear and or determine Mazi Nnamdi Kanu’s cases and appeals leaves so much to be desired.
“There is a concerted effort by the Federal Government of Nigeria and the judiciary not to hear and or determine Mazi Nnamdi Kanu’s cases and appeals on time. Instances abound thus:
“On the 24th day of September, 2024, Justice B. F. M Nyako of the Federal High Court, Abuja made an order recusing herself from the case of terrorism leveled against Mazi Nnamdi Kanu before her Court and sent the case file to the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court for re-assignment to another Judge of the Court. It is getting to Five (5) months since the Court made the Order. There is no such reassignment by the Chief Judge till date. To the Federal Government of Nigeria, in so far as Mazi remains in DSS custody, trial can go to hell.
“Onyendu Mazi Nnamdi Kanu has since the 23rd day of December, 2024 written to the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court for a reassignment of the case but till date, nothing has happened” the statement noted.
Kanu’s lawyers maintained that it is within the right of their client to ask Justice Binta Nyako to recuse herself from the case.
“In spite of the decision of the Supreme Court of Nigeria that Mazi Nnamdi Kanu did not jump bail and that the trial court wrongly revoked his bail, making the impartiality of the trial court suspect, the legal team of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu applied for an order restoring the bail of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu only for the trial court to refuse the application, holding that the only option available to Nnamdi Kanu’s legal team is that of appeal. Do you expect Mazi Nnamdi Kanu to subject himself to a trial by a judge against whom the Supreme Court of Nigeria has found to be bias and who is not ready to change?
“It is in the light of the circumstances that Mazi Nnamdi Kanu reasoned that he can only get justice by any other judge of the Federal High Court other than Justice Binta Nyako. “Of course, there is reasonable ground for the finding of bias against the judge by the Supreme Court and Mazi Nnamdi Kanu being a law-abiding citizen will follow the decision of the Supreme Court of the land. His Lordship is bias” The lawyers said.
They also alleged that the Department of State Services ( DSS ) had continued to prevent them from having access to their client.
