BREAKING: Court Adjourns Nnamdi Kanu’s Trial Till Wednesday
On Tuesday, the Federal High Court in Abuja deferred further proceedings in the case against Nnamdi Kanu, the jailed leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB.
Kanu had complained that the Federal Government had failed to serve him the new 15-count amended charge it had filed before the court in a timely manner, prompting the adjournment.
Kanu’s legal team, led by Senior Advocate of Nigeria Chief Mike Ozekhome, also accused the Federal Government of depriving him the essential resources to defend himself against the charges leveled against him.
The modified charge was delivered on them only 24 hours before the planned hearing, according to Ozekhome, SAN.
“My lord, the proposed amended charge was served on us yesterday evening. As I speak to you my lord, the Defendant who was just brought in, has not even seen the charge which he is being told to enter his plea.
“With due respect, that is not Justice. It is ambushing. I know that the Administration if Criminal Justice Act, ACJA, allows them to amend, but this is the 6th amendment they are making, and each time they do it, they serve us a day to the hearing, just to frustrate the trial”, Ozekhome added.
On his part, the Prosecution team, led by Mr. Mohammed Labaran from the Federal Ministry of Justice, said he was not opposed to the court granting a short adjournment to enable the defence lawyers to study the charge.
Meanwhile, before adjourning the case till Wednesday, trial Justice Binta Nyako, ordered the Department of State Services, DSS, to allow Kanu to have a change of cloth.
“I don’t want to see him in this cloth again. This one is almost off-white. Also make sure that you allow him to exercise”, Justice Nyako added.
Details later…
