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A human rights lawyer, Inibehe Effiong, has said the aggressive display by the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, at the Federal High Court in Abuja on Monday was unnecessary....TAP HERE TO READ THE FULL STORY..>>
Kanu is being arraigned for charges bordering on terrorism and treasonable felony for his separatist activities which aims to resurrect the defunct Biafra Republic.
During proceedings on Monday, the IPOB leader said he was “not happy with the decision of the Chief Judge” to return the case to Justice Binta Nyako, whom he claimed had previously recused herself from the case.
His lawyer, Aloy Ejimakor, also said his client would not stand trial because the judge had refused to recuse herself from the case.
“The defendant is still asking that your lordship recuse herself from this matter,” Ejimakor said.
In response, the judge said “the Chief Judge had not accepted the recusal and had referred the case back” to her for trial.
Nyako’s words angered Kanu who yelled out angrily, saying, “Why is it, when it comes to my case, they turn it upside down, they turn the law upside down?”
He then turned to the Prosecutor Adegboyega Awomolo, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), saying, “An old man like this doesn’t know the law. You don’t know the law.”
Poor Knowledge Of The Law
Kanu then addressed journalists in court while waving a paper to prove that his position seeking Nyako to recuse herself was right.
“This is the law of Nigeria, the prosecution and this court doesn’t know the law; that is the fact. Poor knowledge of the law is killing Nigeria. Poor knowledge of the law, they don’t know the law.
“This is a federal, gazetted law of Nigeria that says here that the Chief Judge of Nigeria cannot tell Binta Nyako what to do. It is here, it’s your law, obey it. That is why I do what I do. I agitate for Biafra, I agitate for Biafra by my right to agitate. They turned it from treasonable felony now to terrorism,” he noted.
Aggression Was Not Necessary
Reacting, Lawyer Effiong told MyNigeria that the situation in court on Monday could have been handled much better instead of the insolence witnessed.
He said, “My position is that I don’t think the aggressiveness was necessary. I believe that the situation could have been handled much better. Engaging in a shouting match with the judge… Well, I’m not in the shoes of Nnamdi Kanu. It is he who wears the shoe that knows where it pinches.
“However, I do not condole insolence to the court. I hope that this matter can be resolved quickly. I believe the sooner this matter is resolved, the better.
“He has been detained for years, since the Buhari regime. He was abducted in Kenya and brought to Nigeria through extraordinary rendition, which our Supreme Court confirmed to be illegal. Remember that the military also invaded his father’s palace and he had to escape.
“Nnamdi Kanu has also suffered. He’s a victim of the Nigerian state. In as much as people have certain grievances about his activities.
“At the same time, I believe the system should have treated him much more fairly. So, the summary is that there should be a quick resolution. If the government wants to try him, then let the trial commence properly so we can know whether the charges against him can be proven or not. Otherwise, he should be released.”
