By Seun Opejobi Aloy Ejimakor, the lead counsel of Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, on Monday accused t...
By Seun Opejobi
Aloy Ejimakor, the lead counsel of Nnamdi Kanu, leader of
the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, on Monday accused the Department of
State Services, DSS, of denying the agitator access to his lawyers.
Ejimakor wondered if Kanu was hale and hearty with this
latest action by DSS.
On September 24, 2024, Kanu caused an uproar at the Abuja
Federal High Court when he demanded that Justice Binta Nyako should step down
from his case.
Kanu had cited a lack of confidence as his reason for
demanding that Justice Nyako recuse herself from his trial.
Following his demand, the judge announced her recusal while
ordering that Kanu’s case file be forwarded to the Chief Judge of the Federal High
Court, Justice John Tsoho.
But, Tsoho had rejected Justice Nyako’s recusal, ordering her
to continue with the trial.
However, attempts by Kanu’s legal team to see him at the DSS
facility were blocked.
In a statement he issued, Ejimakor said: “Today (October 14,
2024), in violation of subsisting orders of court, the State Security Services
(DSS or SSS) blocked the legal team of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu from seeing him when we
went to its headquarters in Abuja on a routine visitation to Mazi Kanu,
pursuant to court-ordered visitation regimen.
“It will be recalled that the DSS has not allowed any
visitors to see Mazi Nnamdi Kanu since his last court appearance on 24th
September 2024 when Mazi Kanu had demanded the recusal of Justice Binta
Murtala-Nyako from his case.
“It is now becoming increasingly clear that this latest
unconstitutionality emanating from the DSS has a direct nexus to Mazi Kanu’s
successful recusal of Justice Nyako, even as the recusal was subsequently
vacated by the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, Abuja.
“We wish to go on the record to recall that, in the recent
past, when the DSS had also violated terms of the court-ordered visitations, we
levied applications before the Federal High Court to enforce its compliance but
the applications have, to this day, not been scheduled for hearing. This
anomaly leaves the uncanny impression that the DSS is above the law or even
above the Constitution and the courts.
“The DSS should know that one of the reasons for the
court-ordered visitations is for Mazi Kanu’s relatives and lawyers to
occasionally interact with him and have proof of his life and wellbeing. Thus,
now that the DSS has totally blocked all access to Mazi Kanu, one might ask:
What is the DSS hiding? Is Mazi Nnamdi Kanu hale and hearty?”
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