Aloy Ejimakor, the lead counsel of Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, on Monday accused the Department of State Services, DSS, of denying the agitator access to his lawyers.
Ejimakor wondered if Kanu was hale and hearty with this latest action by DSS.
On September 24, 2024, Kanu caused an uproar at the Abuja Federal High Court when he demanded that Justice Binta Nyako should step down from his case.
Kanu had cited a lack of confidence as his reason for demanding that Justice Nyako recuse herself from his trial.
Following his demand, the judge announced her recusal while ordering that Kanu’s case file be forwarded to the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, Justice John Tsoho.
But, Tsoho had rejected Justice Nyako’s recusal, ordering her to continue with the trial.
However, attempts by Kanu’s legal team to see him at the DSS facility were blocked.
In a statement he issued, Ejimakor said: “Today (October 14, 2024), in violation of subsisting orders of court, the State Security Services (DSS or SSS) blocked the legal team of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu from seeing him when we went to its headquarters in Abuja on a routine visitation to Mazi Kanu, pursuant to court-ordered visitation regimen.
“It will be recalled that the DSS has not allowed any visitors to see Mazi Nnamdi Kanu since his last court appearance on 24th September 2024 when Mazi Kanu had demanded the recusal of Justice Binta Murtala-Nyako from his case.
“It is now becoming increasingly clear that this latest unconstitutionality emanating from the DSS has a direct nexus to Mazi Kanu’s successful recusal of Justice Nyako, even as the recusal was subsequently vacated by the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, Abuja.
“We wish to go on the record to recall that, in the recent past, when the DSS had also violated terms of the court-ordered visitations, we levied applications before the Federal High Court to enforce its compliance but the applications have, to this day, not been scheduled for hearing. This anomaly leaves the uncanny impression that the DSS is above the law or even above the Constitution and the courts.
“The DSS should know that one of the reasons for the court-ordered visitations is for Mazi Kanu’s relatives and lawyers to occasionally interact with him and have proof of his life and wellbeing. Thus, now that the DSS has totally blocked all access to Mazi Kanu, one might ask: What is the DSS hiding? Is Mazi Nnamdi Kanu hale and hearty?”
DSS still denies Nnamdi Kanu access to visitors, legal team – Ejimakor
