BREAKING NEWS, Judiciary
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AT last Nnamdi Kanu, embattled director, Radio Biafra and Leader, Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, finally appeared before an Abuja magistrate court, on Monday, November 23. At the arraignment, the Department of State Services, DSS, requested a Wuse Zone 2 senior magistrates’ court to discontinue trial of Kanu.
Kanu is standing trial on a three-count charge of criminal conspiracy, intimidation and belonging to unlawful society, to which he pleaded not guilty. At the resumed sitting of the case, Moses Idakwo, prosecution counsel, informed the court that after the arraignment of the accused, the complainant stumbled on some facts which took the matter out of the jurisdiction of the court. According to him, the complainant found out that the accused was involved in terrorism and had been financing it.
“The complainant is, therefore, applying to discontinue the matter under section 108(1) of administration of criminal justice act 2015,” Idakwo said. The prosecutor said that the DSS had also obtained an order from the federal high court, Abuja, dated November10, to detain the accused in its custody for 90 days.
Objecting, Vincent Obetta, Kanu’s counsel, prayed the court not to discontinue the case because the prosecution did not present any information from the attorney-general of federation who had the authority to approve such. Obetta told the court that the DSS violated the order of the court which granted bail that was perfected but not granted, adding that the accused had been in DSS custody since he was arrested.
Consequently, Usman Shuaibu, magistrate, after listening to both counsels, adjourned the matter until December 1 for ruling. Kanu was arraigned following an order on Wednesday, November 18, by the court that the DSS must produce, the detained Kanu in court. The DSS had been expected to produce the accused then but failed to do so.
— Nov 23, 2015 @ 17:20 GMT
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