Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court, Abuja, has granted the detained leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, a final opportunity to enter his defence in his ongoing terrorism trial or risk being foreclosed from doing so.
At Wednesday’s resumed hearing, Justice Omotosho stated that it was his judicial duty to ensure the defendant was given sufficient opportunity to present his case before the court reaches a decision.
The ruling followed an application by the prosecuting counsel, Adegboyega Awomolo, SAN, who urged the court to foreclose Kanu’s right to defence after he failed to take advantage of the time allotted for that purpose.
Awomolo informed the court that Kanu had already used five of the six days allocated to him to conduct his defence without making any formal presentation. He recalled that during Tuesday’s sitting, the court had adjourned proceedings till Wednesday for Kanu to either open his defence or be deemed to have waived his right to do so.
However, at the resumed session, Kanu once again declined to enter a defence, insisting that there was no valid charge against him. The prosecution urged the court to take judicial notice of Kanu’s stance and proceed to foreclose his defence before adjourning for judgment.
Addressing the court from the dock, Kanu, who represented himself, reiterated his position that the charges against him were invalid and did not warrant any defence.
Justice Omotosho subsequently ruled that the court would grant Kanu one final opportunity to present his defence before taking further steps in the matter as the case is adjourned to 7th November.