The Federal High Court sitting in Abuja, on Thursday, ordered the Department of State Services to allow the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, Nnamdi Kanu, the freedom to change his clothes and practise his faith in its facility.
The trial judge, Justice Justice Binta Nyako, also deferred the hearing of the application filed by the IPOB leader to quash the treasonable felony charge the Federal Government preferred against him, till January 18, 2022.
The court also ordered the DSS to grant Kanu “maximum possible comfort in the detention facility”.
The decisions by the court came even as Kanu was absent in court, as his trial resumed.
Since his detention in the DSS facility following his repatriation from Kenya in June this year, Kanu has been known to wear only one dress at each appearance in court.
The Thursday sitting was a special one that was fixed by the trial judge following an application brought by Kanu’s solicitors. Prior to that, Justice Nyako on November 10, had adjourned the trial till January 19, 2022, but had to choose Thursday after the application by Kanu’s team.
In his application, Kanu asked to be acquitted and discharged from all the counts in the charge.
According to him, the court lacks the requisite jurisdiction to try him on the basis of a charge he said was grossly incompetent.
He argued that there was no proof of evidence attached to the amended charge against him.
“No allegation was made in any of the counts of the amended charge that the alleged sundry acts of the defendant/applicant were physically carried out by him, within the geographical space or territorial boundaries of Nigeria.
“That the only element required to constitute and found liability for incitement is the actual words allegedly uttered by the defendant/applicant.
“That the alleged acts for which the defendant was charged do not constitute terrorism offense in London, United Kingdom, where they were allegedly committed,” he claimed.
