The Federal High Court in Abuja on Tuesday, granted an application by the federal government to shield identities of witnesses billed to testify against the leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) Nnamdi Kanu.
Trial judge James Omotosho granted the application after federal government’s counsel, Adegboyega Awomolo, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), moved an ex parte motion to the effect.
Moving the motion, Mr Awomolo told the court that the identities of the witnesses needed to be protected for security reasons.
The senior lawyer informed the court that the charges against Kanu bordered on terrorism, hence, the need to protect the witnesses.
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He requested that the name of the witnesses be shielded from the public for the general reasons of security.
Kanu Agabi, also a SAN and former Attorney-General of the Federation, who appeared for Kanu, did not object to the application.
Mr Agabi, however, requested similar cooperation from the federal government when bail application for Mr Kanu would be argued.
The judge, Mr Omotosho, subsequently granted Mr Awomolo’s plea.
Meanwhile, the first prosecution witness, identified as PWAAA, had commenced testifying as the prosecution formally opened its case against Mr Kanu.
The IPOB leader faces treasonable felony and terrorism charges, which stemmed from his separatist agitation for the secession of Nigeria’s five Igbo-dominated South-east states and parts of the neighbouring states as a sovereign Biafra nation.
He was re-arraigned before Mr Omotosho in March, following his protest forcing the former trial judge, Binta Nyako, who had been handling the case since 2016, to recuse herself from the case.
But shortly before the charges were read to him for him to take a fresh plea, Mr Kanu apologised for his outburst against the former trial judge, Mrs Nyako, while protesting against her handling of the case.
It was the first time the matter would come up in Mr Omotosho’s court. Mr Kanu pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Before pleading to charges, Mr Kanu passionately asked for forgiveness of the former judge and promised to be of good conduct throughout the duration of his trial.
Mr Kanu’s apology was contained in a lengthy prepared speech delivered by his new lawyer, Mr Agabi, who was appearing for him for the first time that day.
READ ALSO: Nnamdi Kanu regrets outburst, apologises to judge Nyako, prosecutor
In the emotion-laden address, Mr Kanu specifically apologised to Mrs Nyako and Mr Awomolo to forgive and forget his outburst and attacks against them in the open court.
Biafra agitation, when first enacted in the 1960s, led to the Civil War that raged between 1967 and 1970 within the first decade of Nigeria’s Independence.
Mr Kanu took the baton for the Biafra agitation and escalated it in 2015, asserting that he and his people have the right to self-determination.
The Nigerian government arrested and charged him in 2015, as it increasingly became uncomfortable with Mr Kanu’s separatist campaigns through then-Radio Biafra.
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