Aloy Ejimakor, the lead Counsel to Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), has accused the Department of State Services (DSS) of disregarding a court order.
Ejimakor stated that DSS operatives refused to allow Kanu to meet with his lawyers in a secret room as ordered by Justice Binta Nyako-led Abuja Federal High Court.
Justice Nyako had ordered the secret police to permit Kanu to meet with five lawyers in a secret room to prepare for his trial.
Ejimakor recalled that the judge issued the order on May 20, 2024, while ruling on an “Order modifying the conditions of Counsel visitation to Mazi Kanu.”
He explained that the modified order aimed to expand the opportunity for Kanu’s lawyers to adequately prepare him for trial in a manner that would ensure a fair trial. The court ordered that Kanu be allowed to meet with up to five of his lawyers as a team, not separately as previously done, in a private room at the State Security Services where Kanu is detained.
In a statement he signed, Ejimakor expressed his disappointment: “Consequently, after duly notifying the DSS with the names of the four lawyers scheduled to meet with Kanu today, the lawyers presented themselves at the DSS earlier today to meet with Kanu as a group, but the DSS refused, insisting that the lawyers must meet with Kanu separately. This is a flagrant disobedience of the court order.”
He continued, highlighting the inadequacies of the room provided by the DSS for the meeting, which did not meet the court’s criteria for privacy and security. Ejimakor also pointed out the DSS’s refusal to allow them to enter the room with papers and collect their eyeglasses, hindering their ability to prepare Kanu’s defense adequately.
In conclusion, Ejimakor expressed concerns about the seriousness of the prosecution’s approach, suggesting that they either lack seriousness or intend to conduct a kangaroo trial lacking fairness.
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