Aloy Ejimakor, the lead counsel for Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), accused the Department of State Services (DSS) on Monday of denying Kanu access to his legal team. Ejimakor raised concerns over the wellbeing of Kanu, as this action by the DSS has sparked fears about his health and overall condition.
The situation follows a dramatic event on September 24, 2024, when Kanu caused an uproar at the Abuja Federal High Court. During the court session, Kanu demanded that Justice Binta Nyako step down from his case, citing a lack of confidence in her handling of his trial. His demand led to a significant shift in the legal proceedings surrounding his trial.
In response to Kanu’s request, Justice Nyako announced her recusal from the case and instructed that the case file be sent to the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, Justice John Tsoho, for reassignment. However, Justice Tsoho later rejected Nyako’s recusal, directing her to continue presiding over the trial, thus adding a new layer of complexity to the legal battle.
Despite these developments, Kanu’s legal team has faced further hurdles, as the DSS has reportedly blocked their attempts to meet with him. This restriction has heightened tensions, with Ejimakor and other supporters questioning the motives behind the DSS’s actions and expressing concerns about Kanu’s legal rights and his current condition.
The ongoing legal struggle and the DSS’s refusal to grant Kanu access to his lawyers are likely to fuel further controversy, as Kanu’s supporters demand transparency and fairness in his trial.
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?”
