Nnamdi Kanu: Court Warns Lawyers against Professional Misconduct

Alex Enumah in Abuja

Justice James Omotosho of a Federal High Court, Abuja, has warned lawyers involved in the trial of Nnamdi Kanu to desist from acts that could be seen as professional misconduct.

 The warning was sequel to complaint and observations concerning a member of the defence team, Aloy Ejimakor and others, said to be in the habit of posting live streaming of proceedings and court documents on the social media.

 Kanu is being tried by the federal government on charges bordering on terrorism and treasonable felony. 

At yesterday’s proceedings, lead counsel to the defendant, Chief Kanu Agabi, SAN, informed the court of a letter from the prosecution, dated May 14, wherein the government expressed concerns about some publications the defence team had made. 

 Agabi who added that they had apologised to the prosecution about the publications, clarified that they were not responsible for the publications.

Responding, the lead prosecution counsel, Chief Adegboyega Awomolo, SAN, described as embarrassing what they saw in the press with regard to the trial.

He said he was forced to ask the court to make an order that anyone entering the courtroom should deposit his phone outside, adding that information reaching stated that the proceedings of the court were being streamed online.

The senior lawyer, specifically mentioned Mr Aloy Ejimakor, whom he said made controversial social media posts about the trial.

Reacting, the judge observed that he had granted accelerated hearing in the interest of both parties and especially because of Kanu who has been held for so long.

He mentioned how 50 suspected IPOB members were arraigned before him in 2024, and how he also granted accelerated trial, even when both prosecution and defence counsel employed several tricks to delay the trial, adding that he eventually discharged and acquitted the 50 defendants.

He, however, advised lawyers representing parties not to dwell on the distractions but to focus on the trial in the interest of justice.

“This is part of the noise they make in the market, it should not distract us from what we went to buy in the market,” Omotosho said.

He also chided Ejimakor yet again for his unprofessional conducts in the course of the trial, saying, “These are some misconducts for which somebody may be debarred.”

He also warned against people who post false news about the trial on social media just to generate traffic to their pages.