Date fixed for judgement by court for  Kanu’s suit

Precious Yusuf 

The Federal High Court in Umuahia,Abia State, has fixed October 27th as the day to pass judgement over the suit that Nnamdi Kanu filed against the Federal Government. 

This decision was reached by the presiding Judge, Justice Evelyn Anyadike, who said she will pass judgement on the case then. 

The suit was filed on his behalf by his Special Counsel, Mr Aloy Ejimakor,about Kanu’s rendition which was challenged by the Federal Government. 

On Tuesday, when the matter was brought before Court, Counsels to all the parties adopted their written applications and processes.

Counsel to the Federal Government, Simon Enoch of the Federal Ministry of Justice, however appealed to the court to dismiss the case as it was rather an insult to court processes. 

He pointed out that the Abia State had decided the issue, and that Kanu had disregarded this verdict when he had jumped bail,prior to his arrest in Kenya. 

Kanu’s legal counsel was quick to refute the claims that the Abia State High Court had decided the issue. He said the issue that was decided then was the military invasion of his clients house in 2017 which was decided in Kanu’s favour. 

He argued that the subsisting suit was on the unlawful rendition of Kanu from Kenya to Nigeria by the agents of the Federal Government without any warrant. He insisted that the Federal Government should produce the legal instrument that had given them the authority for the abduction of his client. 

“My client remains an unlawfully expelled individual, and cannot be subjected to any trial because he was unlawfully renditioned,”Ejimakor argued insistently. 

He made reference to the United Nations Commission on Human Rights that had released Kanu without any conditions. The Commission had also directed that he be compensated for the violation of his fundamental  human rights. 

Ejimakor also made it known that his client’s health was fast deteriorating and he needed access to his personal physician. 

In an interview with newsmen, Kanu’s lawyer said that the IPOB Leader would first be released from detention and be returned to Kenya or Britain where he was residing before the Federal Government would apply for his extradition.

“In law you cannot detain somebody you don’t have the authority to arrest,” he argued. 

Kanu’s lawyer likened the rendition of his client to the attempted kidnap of former Minister for Agriculture, Alhaji Umaru Dikko by the Federal Government from Britain in 1984, in which those involved in the act were arrested and prosecuted, and Nigeria punished by the United Kingdom.

He further said that Kanu’s quest for a referendum on Biafra was not a crime as part of Eastern Nigeria was lost to Cameroon, and part of Southern Cameroon became Nigeria respectively via plebiscite.

Ejimakor, however, expressed hope that his client would get justice in court, saying that his case is very clear.