By Austin Ogwuda
There was a mild drama in court today (Tuesday)
at the resumed hearing of the trial of the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Mazi Nnamdi Kanu as he (Kanu) took over proceedings from his counsel, Barrister Aloy Ejimakor.
The drama started when Kanu’s lawyer, Ejimakor stood up appealing to Justice Binta Nyako of the Federal High Court, Abuja to suspend the trial to enable his client prepare adequately for his defence as the date was too close.
Barely had he finished making the oral submission that Nnamdi Kanu who is also a lawyer by profession, interrupted. He stood up from the dock and shouted at his lawyer, “Sit down, I say you should sit down!”.
Continuing, he said, “My lord, I have no confidence in this court any more and I ask you (Judge) to recuse yourself because you did not abide by the decision of the Supreme Court.
“I can understand it if the DSS refused to obey a court order, but for this court to refuse to obey an order of the Supreme Court is regrettable. I am asking you to recuse yourself from this case”, Kanu bellowed from the dock.
Although, the Prosecution Counsel, Adegboyega Awomolo, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), asked the Judge to proceed with the trial, Justice Nyako said “I hereby recuse myself and remit the case-file back to the Chief Judge”.
Justice Nyako had been presiding over the trial of Kanu since he was first arrested in 2015 for agitations for creation of a Biafra Republic from Nigeria.
Recall that the Judge had in June 2017 granted Kanu bail alongside his co-defendants but he escaped the country after a military operation at his Afara-Ukwu, Umuahia family compound in Abia State where several of his supporters were killed.
Following Kanu’s rearrangement after he was bundled back from Kenya in 2021, Justice Nyako also dismissed seven of the 15-count charges brought against him by the Federal government bordering on treasonable felony for lack of sufficient evidence.
Credit: Daily Trust
