Ifeanyi Ejiofor, the lead lawyer to the leader of the proscribed Indegeneous People of Biafra Nnamdi Kanu, has explained that his walk out from the trial on Wednesday was in protect against abnormalities.
Ejiofor who went out of the court room before the arrival of the trial judge Justice Binta Nyako for the day proceeding said they went out in protest because “lawyers in his team were blocked from entering the Court.
“We are dissatisfied about what is playing out” . He said, “that conventionally the court should not be part of this case but what is playing out show the court is part of the scheme .I will say it unequivocally and that should be the end of this court participation in this matter.”
The lawyers have to walk out in protest for obvious abnormalities and the court ought to have summoned us to explain ,rather than adjourning the matter, he said.
He said that besides, the order of the court granting permission to them to visit Nnamdi Kanu in custody has been disobeyed by the Department of State Security Services.
Meanwhile, a group of Kanu supporters numbering over 300 people demonstrated on Wednesday out side the court premises. The protesters were chanting “free Kanu he is our saviour” while another group an anti Kanu protesters numbering over 500 people with big banners, were chanting ” do not free Kanu , he killed Gulak and our security personnel.”
The trial of Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of the proscribed Indegeneous People of Biafra (IPOB),for treasonable felony scheduled for Wednesday did not go as scheduled following the lawyers walk out .
Trial Court judge, Justice Binta Nyako of the Federal High Court Abuja arrived the courtroom and found that the defence lawyers who were to argue their objection to the charge have left the courtroom.
She adjourned the trial of detained leader of the Indegeneous People of Biafra, IPOB, Nnamdi Kanu till January 19.
lawyers have staged a walk out over refusal of operatives of the Department of State Services, DSS, to allow some of them to gain access into the courtroom.
Kanu, who was brought into the courtroom around 9:52am, had shortly after his case was called up, bemoaned the refusal of security agents to allow some members of his legal team, particularly his lawyer from the United States of America, Bruce Fein, to enter the courtroom.
The IPOB leader told the court that Mr. Fein, who he said was handling a case for him in the US, was around to witness his trial.
“I have an ongoing case in the US. I have not been allowed to see him. He is here to see me and to observe the proceedings.
“He has been to the DSS to see me, but they denied him access to me”, Kanu stated from the dock.
Asked by the Judge, if he was ready to conduct the proceedings himself, in the absence of his lawyers, Kanu replied in the negative.
The judge also wanted to know how Ms Heather Wilkir a representative of a British Council got to the court room, asked her. She explained that the Council wrote the Chief Judge.
Justice Nyako turned to Kanu and asked do you hear her? and added that even at that the procedure adopted by her was not correct. According to her, “Chief Judge is Court 1 and Justice Binta Nyako is Court 2 and letters seeking permission should be address to this court, she said.
Meanwhile, counsel to FG, Mr. Mohammed D. Abubakar, who is the Director of Public Prosecution, urged the court to proceed with the trial in the absence of Kanu’s lawyers.
Abubakar told the court that ordinarily, the matter was fixed for hearing of an application that was filed by the defendant.
He argued that since Kanu’s lead counsel, Mr. Ifeanyi Ejiofor, who was initially inside the courtroom, walked out with his team shortly before the arrival of the judge, his pending application should be deemed abandoned.
In a short ruling, though Justice Nyako expressed her displeasure over the conduct of Kanu’s lawyers, she declined to dismiss the pending application and rather adjourned the case till January 19 and 20, 202, for trial.