Kanu Set to Defend Terrorism Allegations After Meeting Legal Team

* To call Wike, Danjuma, Buratai, others as witnesses 

Alex Enumah in Abuja 

There are indications on Wednesday, that the detained leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, is set to open his defence in his alleged terrorism trial taking place at a Federal High Court in Abuja.

Trial judge, Justice James Omotosho, had last week fixed October 23, for the pro-Biafran to open his defence in the seven-count amended charge, brought against him by the Federal Government.

The judge fixed the date for opening of defence after a report from the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) said that Kanu, is in a good state of health to continue his trial.

The court had also granted the request of the defendant to have a private consultation with his legal team, led by former Attorney General of the Federation (AGF), Kanu Agabi (SAN).

According to the court’s order, Kanu should meet with his counsel inside the courtroom between the hours of 9 am and 12 noon on October 22, a day before the resumption of trial.

And in line with the order of the court, the meeting was held Wednesday in Court 7, located on the second floor of the Federal High Court headquarters complex in Abuja, the same courtroom where proceedings in his ongoing terrorism trial is being conducted.

Meanwhile, as the IPOB leader commences his defence Thursday, he has indicated his desire to call some eminent Nigerians like a former Minister of Defence, General Theophilus Danjuma (rtd), as a witness.

Danjuma was listed in the categories of those he wants the court to summon to testify in the case.

Others on the “compellable witnesses” list are a former Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami (SAN); the Minister of FCT, Nyesom Wike; former Chief of Army Staff, General Tukur Buratai (rtd); Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State and Governor Hope Uzodinma of Imo State.

The remaining are the Minister of Works, Dave Umahi; a former Governor of Abia State, Okezie Ikpeazu; a former Director General (DG), National Intelligence Agency (NIA), Ahmed Rufai Abubakar; former DG of the State Security Service, Yusuf Bichi, and several witnesses whose identities he didn’t reveal.

The list of witnesses were contained in a fresh motion he personally signed and filed at the Federal High Court in Abuja.

The motion, marked: FHC/ABJ/CR/383/2015, is dated October 20, and filed October 21.

The motion was titled: ‘Notice of Number and Names of Witnesses to be Called by the Defendant and Request for Witness Summons/Subpoena and the Variation of the Time Within Which to Defend the Counts/Charges against the Defendant.’

The motion, he said, was brought “pursuant to the order of this honourable court made on October 16, 2015, directing the defendant to commence his defence on October 24, 2025″.

He also told the court that he planned to call a total of 23 witnesses divided into two categories.

The first category, he said, would be those he called “ordinary but material witnesses”, while the second category of witnesses he referred to as “vital and compellable” and shall be “summoned under Section 232 of the Evidence Act, 2011”.

The defendant subsequently urged the court to consider granting him a 90-day timeframe to enable him conclude his defence, because of the number of witnesses he intends to call.

He told the court that he would “testify on his own behalf, providing a sworn account of the facts, denying the allegations, and explaining the political context of his statements and actions”.

He also promised to “provide the sworn statements of all voluntary witnesses to this honourable court, and to notify the prosecution within a reasonable time”.

Meanwhile, a magistrate court in Abuja, had on Tuesday, remanded one of Kanu’s lawyer, Aloy Ejimakor, and 12 others who were arrested during the protest organised by Omoyele Sowore on Monday against the IPOB leader’s continued trial and detention.

The police charged the 13 persons with various offences, including criminal conspiracy, disobedience of a lawful order, inciting disturbance, and disturbance of public peace, in contravention of Sections 152, 114, and 113 of the Penal Code Law.

The 13 defendants named in two separate first information reports (FIRs) are Ejimakor, Kanu’s younger brother, Emmanuel; Joshua Emmanuel, Wilson Anyalewechi, Okere Nnamdi, Clinton Chimeneze, Gabriel Joshua, Isiaka Husseini, Onyekachi Ferdinand, Amadi Prince, Edison Ojisom, Godwill Obioma and Chima Onuchukwu.

The magistrate ordered that the defendants be remanded in Kuje Correctional Centre pending their arraignment on October 24.