Self-acclaimed leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, Nnamdi Kanu, was yesterday unable to open his defence in a terrorism charge filed against him by the Federal Government before the Federal High Court in Abuja over the absence of the case file.
Trial Judge, Justice James Omotosho, however, adjourned till Monday for Kanu to open his defence. The adjournment followed the complaint by Kanu that his former lawyers, led by a former Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, AGF, Kanu Agabi SAN, have not released his case file to him to study.
When the matter was called, Adegboyeaga Awomolo SAN announced appearance for the federal government and informed the court that the business of the day was for Kanu to kick-start his defense as earlier ordered by the court.
However, no lawyer appeared for Kanu, who entered the dock with a bundle of documents, announcing appearance for himself and thereafter informed the Judge that his legal team, sacked on October 23, had not released the case file to him.
He said he was constrained to ask for an adjournment to enable him to get the case file and study it to be able to prepare fully for his defense. Besides, he said he intends to call 23 witnesses from within and outside the country and urged the court to issue an order to the Department of State Service, DSS, to permit the foreign witnesses to access him.
He also asked the Judge to order DSS to allow his lawyers to have access to him on non-working days, which was promptly granted. At this point, counsel to the federal government said that the complaint of Kanu was strange because he was in the courtroom for hours with his former lawyers.
Awomolo SAN also reminded the Judge of the six days issued to Kanu to open and close defense and urged the court to strictly adhere to the order. Justice James Omotosho, in a brief response, said he was mindful of granting an adjournment because of Kanu’s claim of not having the case file.
The judge said that the allegations that Kanu Agabi did not release the case file was strange and unbelievable, but that he would oblige the defendant with an adjournment.
He, however, warned against undue delay, especially wastage of the judicial time of the court, adding that several other cases have suffered delay because of Kanu’s matter. The Judge subsequently fixed Monday for the defendant to open his defense.
