….I’ve no case to answer, let me go, Kanu insists
By Ikechukwu Nnochiri, ABUJA
For the fourth time, the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, on Tuesday, failed to open his defence to the seven-count terrorism charge the Federal Government preferred against him.
At the resumed proceeding, Kanu, who is conducting his case by himself after he disengaged his team of lawyers, insisted he has no case to answer.
He maintained that in the absence of a valid charge pending before the court, there was no legal basis for him to either open his defence or to file and exchange a final written address with FG.
Rather, he urged the judge to take judicial notice of the motion he filed along with a supporting affidavit, which challenged the jurisdiction of the court to continue to try him over an offence he said is unknown to any extant law.
Kanu asked the court to order his immediate release from the custody of the Department of State Services (DSS), where he has been detained since 2021.
In his response, the prosecution counsel, Chief Adegboyega Awomolo, SAN, queried the competence of the documents Kanu lodged before the court, insisting they were not properly filed.
FG’s lawyer prayed the court not to further indulge the defendant, who he said was merely wasting valuable judicial time.
He urged the court to deem the documents that Kanu recently filed as his final written address and to order parties to adopt the processes to enable judgement to be delivered in the matter.
In a short ruling, trial Justice James Omotosho dismissed FG’s contention that the processes Kanu filed were not competent.
Justice Omotosho said the court would take them into consideration in its judgement.
Besides, the court said it took notice of the fact that the defendant is not a lawyer and decided to give him further opportunity to consult a legal practitioner for further guidance.
Justice Omotosho hinted that the court would foreclose Kanu’s right should he fail to defend the charge within the period allotted for him to do so.
He subsequently adjourned further proceedings till Wednesday for the defendant to either enter his defence or have his right to do so waived.
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