News

Nnamdi Kanu Lawyers Threaten To Boycott Court Over Alleged Injustice

Published

4 weeks ago

April 10, 2024

Editor

Members of the legal team of the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu, have warned that they may boycott court proceedings due to perceived injustice against their client.

They stated that they would not participate in the proceedings if the IPOB leader’s right to a fair trial was not respected by the Department of State Services.

The IPOB leader is being charged with treason felony and terrorism and has been in the DSS custody since 2021.

He had applied to be granted bail based on health grounds and to enable him to prepare for trial, but his application was rejected by Justice Binta Nyako of the Federal High Court in Abuja.

Nyako instead promised to grant an accelerated hearing in the matter.

Kanu’s trial is expected to commence on April 17, 2024.

But Kanu’s legal team led by Alloy Ejimakor has been addressing journalists on the difficulty they have been facing preparing the IPOB leader for trial.

On April 9, 2024, during a press conference in Abuja, Ejimakor accused the DSS of denying them access to their client.

He also accused the service of constantly seizing every legal document they took to the DSS facility to prepare Kanu for trial.

At another press conference in Abuja on Wednesday, Ejimakor said they would pull out of the trial should the DSS continue to frustrate their efforts to prepare Kanu for his trial.

Ejimakor claimed that the actions of the DSS arr denying the IPOB leader his right to a fair trial.

He said the legal team would not be part of such a process should it continue.

Ejimakor said, “This legal team is not going to be part of the travesty of justice. If Nnamdi Kanu is not going to get a fair trial, this legal team is not going to be part of murdering justice in a Nigerian court. It doesn’t mean we are going to abandon Kanu, but we will, as a group, abandon a process.

“We will refuse to be participants in a process that is geared to and pre-programmed injustice on the head of Kanu. Let that be clear. It doesn’t sound like we are going to boycott Kanu, but you can say we are boycotting the judiciary, and what we are boycotting is manifest injustice.”

Efforts to get the DSS spokesperson, Peter Afunanya, proved abortive as calls to his mobile phone indicated ‘line busy’.

He had yet to respond to a message requesting his reaction to the allegations levelled against the DSS as of the time of filling this report.

News

EFCC Trial: ‘Even The Prophets Went To Prison’ – Buhari’s Minister Comforts Self In Court

Published

9 hours ago

May 10, 2024

Editor

A former Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika, standing trial for an alleged N7.2bn fraud, said he was ready to go to prison just like the prophets.

Sirika, his daughter, and three others were arraigned at a Federal Capital Territory High Court on Thursday on a six-count amended criminal charge before Justice Sylvanus Oriji.

A video of the ex-minister speaking in court with his lawyers surfaced on X on Thursday.

In the video, Sirika, dressed in cream Babariga, could be heard saying, “It’s okay. Fatima, it’s okay,” while comforting his daughter.

He continued, “Even prophets have gone (to prison). Those that went, haven’t they finished theirs already?…whatever Allah says”

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission had accused the ex-minister, his daughter, son-in-law and Al-Duraq Investment Limited, of fraud in connection with the botched Nigerian Air project.

Meanwhile, the court granted each of the defendants bail in the sum of N100m with two sureties each.

Before the trial judge, Justice Sylvanus Orji granted the bail request of the defendants, they pleaded not guilty to all the charges preferred against them after it was read out to them.

The prosecution counsel, Rotimi Jacobs SAN, had informed the court of an amended charge by the EFCC dated May 7, and filed on May 8, which was not opposed by the counsel for the defendants.

Sirika’s lead counsel, Kanu Agabi (SAN), informed the court of his client’s bail application dated May 6.

The other defendants similarly, moved their bail applications and prayed the court to be liberal in the bail conditions.

Jacobs, on his part, told the court that all the defendants were on administrative bail and asked the court to grant bail on the condition that would make them appear for their trials.

Apart from the N100m bail, Justice Osuji added that one of the sureties must own a landed property with valid land titles in like sum within the Federal Capital Territory.

The judge also held that the sureties must depose to an affidavit of means while he barred the defendants from travelling outside the country without its permission.

He added that failure to fulfil the bail conditions would earn the defendants a stay in a correctional facility.