JUST IN : Kanu’s trial suffers another setback

The trial of Nnamdi Kanu, the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), was halted on Friday at the Federal High Court in Abuja after he claimed he could not begin his defence due to lack of access to his case file.

Kanu told the court he needed to review the file to properly prepare for his defence.

The defendant had fired his legal team, led by former Attorney-General of the Federation, Kanu Agabi (SAN), on Thursday and requested an adjournment to Friday to enable him to continue with the proceedings.

At Friday’s sitting, the prosecuting counsel, Adegboyega Awomolo (SAN), informed the court that the session was fixed for Kanu to open his defence.

When called upon, Kanu announced that he would represent himself in the matter.

He explained to the court that he could not proceed because he had not been given the case file. “Those who were to bring the case file to me in the custody of the Department of State Services (DSS) could not get to me,” he said.

Kanu asked for an adjournment until Monday, October 27, to enable him to access the file and familiarise himself with its contents.

He also told the court that he was expecting witnesses from several countries, including the United Kingdom, the United States, Kenya, and Ethiopia, and requested that the DSS allow him access to visitors over the weekend to prepare his defence.

Prosecutor Awomolo did not oppose the application, prompting Justice Omotosho to direct the DSS to permit Kanu to receive visitors on Saturday and Sunday.

The judge adjourned the matter to October 27 for Kanu to open his defence, warning that the six-day period allotted for the exercise, which began on October 23, would not be extended.