*Trial adjourned to Jan 2022
The scheduled resumption of the trial of Nnamdi Kanu was stalled Wednesday following refusal by his defence lawyers to participate in the proceedings.
Prior to the commencement of proceedings, some of the defence lawyers, led by Ifeanyi Ejiofor, walked out of the courtroom in protest against the refusal by security personnel to allow all members of the legal defence team, including a foreigner, into the courtroom.
When evetually commenced after 10 am, Kanu, who was brought into the courtroom around 9:52 am, complained that security agents prevented some of his lawyers, particularly Bruce Fein from the United States, access into the court room.
He told the court that his US attorney Fein, was around to witness his trial.
Kanu said: “I have an ongoing case in the US. I have not been allowed to see him. He is here to see me and to observe the proceedings.
“He has been to the DSS to see me, but they denied him access to me,” Kanu lamented.
Asked by Justice Binta Nyako if he would conduct his case in the absence of his lawyers, Kanu said no.
But, lead prosecuting lawyer, Mohammed Abubakar, who is the Director of Public Prosecution, urged the court to proceed with the trial in the absence of Kanu’s lawyers.
Abubakar argued that since Kanu’s lead lawyer, Ifeanyi Ejiofor, who was earlier granted access into the courtroom, walked out with his team before the commencement of proceedings, they should blame themselves.
He noted that ordinarily, the case was fixed for the hearing of an application filed by the defendant, adding that since the defence lawyers were absent, the court should deem the application abandoned.
Ruling, Justice Nyako frowned at the conduct of Kanu’s lawyers.
The judge rejected the prosecution’s application to deem the defence’s pending application abandoned.
She therefore adjourned further proceedings to January 19 and 20, 2022.
Meanwhile, there was tight security in and around the courtroom during the resumed trial of Nnamdi Kanu on Wednesday.
All the entrances to the court premises were barricaded by a team of combined officers of Department of State Services (DSS), Army, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence and the Police.
Vehicles were not allowed into the court premises.
However, court staff and journalists, whose names are on the list for the coverage, were allowed into the building.
Although five media organisations on the list given to the DSS were allowed into the court, other journalists were asked to stay in the Media Centre at the court’s basement.