The Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has adjourned indefinitely the trial of the leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu in the terrorism charges brought against him by the Federal Government.
Justice Binta Nyako, on Monday, November 14, 2022, put off the trial sine die at the instance of Kanu pending the resolution of the Federal Government’s appeal against the October 13 judgment of the Court of Appeal that discharged him from the terrorism charges.
The Federal Government’s appeal seeking reversal of the Court of Appeal judgment is pending before the Supreme Court.
Two other cases billed for hearing before the court were also put off indefinitely for the same reason.
Meanwhile, Kanu refused to appear before the Federal High Court on Monday.
The refusal to honour the high court was conveyed to Justice Nyako by the Federal Government’s counsel, Mohammed Abubakar.
He informed the court that all entreaties made to persuade Kanu to have a change of heart were rebuffed.
However, Chief Mike Ozekhome, SAN, who is leading Kanu’s defence team, told the court that FG’s allegation was strange to him.
“My lord, this is totally strange to me because this is a person that has never hidden his intention to always be in court. In fact, even in processes we filed at both the Court of Appeals and the Supreme Court, the defendant said he would want to be present in court for hearing of all the matters”, Ozekhome, SAN, added.
He further notified the trial judge about the judgement of the Court of Appeal that quashed the 15-count charge FG preferred against his client and discharged him of all the allegations.
Ozekhome contended that since FG has gone to the Supreme Court to set aside the judgement and his client also challenging the order that stayed the execution of the verdict, it was better for the matter to be adjourned sine-die (indefinitely).
Besides, he told the court that his client was not served with the amended charge.
“We have not even been served with this charge, we only read about it on the social media. It was this morning that we discovered that it has been listed on the cause list and I thought that my learned friend will stand up and say that in view of the subsisting Appeal Court judgement, he is withdrawing it.
“We are surprised because this is an abuse of the court process”, Ozekhome stated.