Court adjourns Nnamdi Kanu’s trial gives DSS fresh directives

Federal High Court sitting in Abuja, on Tuesday, adjourned further proceedings in the case against the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, Nnamdi Kanu, till Wednesday.

The court ordered DSS to allow him to change cloth and do exercise.

The adjournment followed Kanu’s complaint that the Federal Government failed to promptly serve him the fresh count of 15 amended charges it brought before the court.

Kanu, through his team of lawyers led by a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Chief Mike Ozekhome, further accused FG of denying him the necessary facility to defend the charge against him.

Ozekhome, SAN, told the court that the amended charge was served on them, barely 24 hours to the scheduled hearing.

“My lord, the proposed amended charge was served on us yesterday evening. As I speak to you my lord, the Defendant who was just brought in has not even seen the charge which he is being told to enter his plea.

“With due respect, that is not Justice. It is ambushing. I know that the Administration if Criminal Justice Act, ACJA, allows them to amend, but this is the 6th amendment they are making, and each time they do it, they serve us a day to the hearing, just to frustrate the trial”, Ozekhome added.

On his part, the Prosecution team, led by Mr Mohammed Labaran from the Federal Ministry of Justice, said he was not opposed to the court granting a short adjournment to enable the defence lawyers to study the charge.

Meanwhile, before adjourning the case till Wednesday, trial Justice Binta Nyako, ordered the Department of State Services, DSS, to allow Kanu to have a change of cloth.

“I don’t want to see him in this cloth again. This one is almost off-white. Also, make sure that you allow him to exercise”, Justice Nyako added.