Kanu, legal team hold private meeting in courtroom ahead of defence opening

Nnamdi Kanu, the detained leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), on Wednesday, had a private consultation with his legal team that is led by Kanu Agabi, .

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Mr Kanu, who was brought to court by the operatives of the State Security Service (SSS), met his lawyers in the courtroom where his trial is being held.

The session is an informal meeting between Mr Kanu and his lawyer.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the private meeting was part of the defence team’s preparation for the commencement of Kanu ‘s defence scheduled for Thursday.

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The development was in compliance with Mr Omotosho’s schedule of proceedings issued on 16 September.

The judge had also on 16 October granted the defendant six consecutive days, beginning from 23 October to open and close his defence in view of the accelerated hearing earlier granted in the case.

Mr Agabi, who did not object to the six days granted by the court, however applied orally for the court to grant Mr Kanu’s legal team an opportunity for a private consultation session with his client, outside the premises of SSS office.

Mr Agabi said the defence team was afraid that its consultation with Mr Kanu could be tapped into or recorded by the security outfit.

Mr Omotosho then granted the request and also acceded to Mr Agabi’s request that the private meeting with Kanu be held in the courtroom, during which only the defendant and his lawyers would be present.

By the judge’s directive, the private consultation meeting was to be held within the courtroom between 9 a.m. and noon on 22 October (Wednesday) while the trial would resume on 23 October when Kanu is expected to open his defence.

The secessionist agitator, who has been in the custody of the SSS since June 2021, is facing terrorism charges accusing him of inciting violence and killings in the South-east Nigeria to achieve the indepence of the region as a sovereign Biafra state.

Preparatory to the opening of his defence on Thursday, Mr Kanu filed a list of proposed witnesses before the court on 21 October.

He listed former Attorney-General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, among other serving and former officials he wants subpoenaed to appear in court as his witnesses.

The list containing a category of serving and former officials whom Mr Kanu described as compellable witnesses includes Nyesom Wike, the FCT minister; Theophilus Danjuma, a retired lieutenant-general and former Chief of Army Staff (COAS); Tukur Buratai, another retired lieutenant-general and former COAS; Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State and Governor Hope Uzodinma of Imo State.

Others are Dave Umahi, Minister of Works; Okezie Ikpeazu, the immediate-past Governor of Abia State; Ahmed Rufai Abubakar, the immediate-past Director General, National Intelligence Agency (NIA), and Yusuf Bichi, a former Director-General of the State Security Service (SSS).

It followed a series of recent developments in the case, including a court ruling in September that dismissed Mr Kanu’s no-case submission and ordered him to present his defence.

A court-ordered medical panel, just last week, declared him fit to stand trial, prompting the judge to schedule Thursday for the IPOB leader to open his defence.

He filed his fresh application on 21 October, a day after a protest led by human rights activist Omoyele Sowore in Abuja on Monday called for an unconditional release of Mr Kanu from custody.

During the protest, tagged #FreeNnamdiKanuNow, the police arrested one of Mr Kanu’s defence lawyers, Aloy Ejimakor, and 11 others. Mr Kanu’s brother, Emmanuel Kanu, was among the arrested persons.

Mr Kanu, a dual citizen of Nigeria and the United Kingdom, assured trial judge James Omotosho in his new motion that he was ready to begin his defence as ordered by the court.

(NAN)