Nnamdi Kanu pleads not guilty to FG’s 15-count terrorism charge

Nnamdi Kanu

The self-acclaimed leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nazi Nnamdi Kanu, on Wednesday, pleaded not guilty to the 15-count terrorism charge preferred against him by the Federal Government and asked the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja, where he was arraigned to discharge and acquit him from charges.

The Biafran Nation agitator claimed that the charges which he denied upon arraignment were incurably defective, worthless and have no force of law.

Besides the alleged defectiveness of the charges, through his lead counsel, Chief Mike Ozekhome (SAN) said that the offences brought against him were committed in the United Kingdom, outside the shore of Nigeria.

Shortly after the plea was taken, counsel to the federal government, Shuaibu Labaran told the trial Judge, Justice Binta Nyako that the prosecution was prepared to proceed with the formal trial of the defendant.

He informed the court that two of his witnesses were in court to testify in the case while some exhibits to be tendered to establish terrorism charges against Kanu have also been brought to court.

The prosecution counsel cited Section 396 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA) 2015 which stipulates that trial should begin after arraignment while objection on any issue can be taken at any time along with the substantive matters.

However, Chief Mike Ozekhome, representing the IPOB leader objected to the commencement of trial adding that his client has filed two motions on notice, one questioning the validity of the charges and the other seeking bail.

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Ozekhome said that the two motions are so fundamental because one of them is challenging the competence of the whole charges and must be resolved first and added that his client wants to be discharged and acquitted without standing trial because the charges were incurably defective and not worth being defended.

The second motion seeking fresh bail for Kanu filed, on Tuesday, and served on the prosecution on Wednesday, January 19 morning was not ripped for hearing.

The trial Judge, Justice Binta Nyako in a brief ruling agreed with Ozekhome to take and determine the motion challenging the validity of the charges first and adjourned till 1: pm of February 16, 2022, for parties to return to court to adapt their processes for and against the motions filed by the defendant.

Meanwhile, as against the Tuesday order by the court, Kanu, on Wednesday, appeared in court for his trial, putting on the same Fendi designers clothes he has been wearing since June last year when he was arrested and arraigned for treasonable felony.

Justice Nyako had, during proceedings on Tuesday, ordered the Department of State Services (DSS) to allow the IPOB leader to have a change of cloth and do exercise.

The trial Judge, while giving the order said, “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 and give him a good mattress.

When the matter was called on Wednesday, the Prosecution counsel, Shuaibu Labaran told the court that Kanu was the one that chose to wear his Fendi designers clothes.

“My lord, based on your order yesterday, we provided Defendant with a new Orthopedic mattress, pillows and blankets.

As for his appearance, he chose to wear this particular one because he said that it is designers”, the prosecution counsel told the court.

In his response, Kanu’s lead counsel told the court that it was not true that his client insisted on wearing his designers’ clothes, adding that at the end of proceedings on Tuesday, and, “Because it was not his visiting day, we were not able to pass to him, some clothes we obtained for him.

“We even discussed it with him this morning and he said that on the next visiting day he would want to have the new clothes,” Ozekhome told the court and however commended the DSS for providing the IPOB leader with new mattress and pillows.

Justice Nyako has directed that clothes brought for Kanu by his family members be handled over to the Director of Legal Services of DSS to enable Kanu to change his clothes during proceedings.

The IPOB leader was arraigned by the federal government over his alleged commission of act of terrorism, felony, incitement, unlawful importation of a radio transmitter, and headship of an illegal organization.

Already, the DSS had before Kanu was ushered into the courtroom around 10:15 am, produced several documentary evidence, including electronic devices it would use to play some of the alleged inciting broadcasts that were made by Defendant.

Sunday Ejike