Access to Nnamdi Kanu: How lawmakers resolved issues between lawyers, SSS —- Lawyer

Aloy Ejimakor, special counsel to Nnamdi Kanu, has said some Nigerian lawmakers have intervened in the denial of lawyers’ access to Mr Kanu by the State Security Service (SSS).

Mr Ejimakor stated this on Sunday night when he appeared as a guest on Newsnight, a programme on Arise TV.

Mr Kanu, who is facing terrorism charges, is the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).

The IPOB leader has been in detention since he was repatriated to Nigeria from Kenya in June 2021 under controversial circumstances.

His legal team has repeatedly accused the SSS of denying them access to Mr Kanu.

Last week, PREMIUM TIMES reported that the court threatened to jail Adeola Ajayi, the SSS director-general, if he continued to deny lawyers access to the IPOB leader.

‘Political compromise’

PREMIUM TIMES reported that the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Abbas Tajudeen and a member of the House from Abia State, Obi Aguocha, visited Mr Kanu at the SSS facility on Thursday over the denial of his lawyers access to him.

Speaking during the TV programme, Mr Ejimakor said Messrs Tajudeen and Aguocha attempted to resolve the issue of access denial through a “political compromise.”

“I am fully aware of the intervention of Hon Aguocha and the Honourable Speaker as well as Abbas Tajudeen. They intervened politically on this matter and tried to resolve it by way of compromise,” he said.

“I had access to an informal information that the SSS has retraced its steps – It’s now willing to do the right thing saying that I should bring a letter submitting names of counsels that will be visiting Nnamdi Kanu on Monday,” the special counsel stated.

He said he had submitted the letter and would proceed to the SSS facility to confirm that the restriction had been lifted.

‘We’ve met with SSS legal team’

On Monday night, Mr Ejimakor announced in a post on his X handle that Mr Kanu’s legal team had met with the SSS legal department over the refusal by the secret police to allow lawyers access to the IPOB leader.

“We met for over two hours. Enough said for now, because the matter is subjudice,” he said.

The lawyer was silent on whether the legal team met with Mr Kanu.

He did not also specifically confirm that the restriction of access has been lifted.

Background

Mr Kanu’s legal team has repeatedly accused SSS of denying them access to him.

The legal team, for instance, accused the secret of blocking them from visiting the IPOB leader last Monday.

The lawyers, 27 September, made a similar allegation against the SSS.

Before then, the SSS allegedly prevented some lawyers from seeing the IPOB leader in 2021.

The incident had reoccurred in 2022, about a year after.

Mr Kanu was first arrested in 2015 under the administration of former Nigerian President, Muhammadu Buhari.

The Court of Appeal, Abuja, on 13 October 2022, held that the IPOB leader was extraordinarily renditioned to Nigeria and that the action was a flagrant violation of the country’s extradition treaty and also a breach of his fundamental human rights.

The court, therefore, struck out the terrorism charges filed against Mr Kanu by the Nigerian government and ordered his release from the facility of the SSS.

But the government refused to release the IPOB leader, insisting that he (Kanu) could be unavailable in subsequent court proceedings if released and that his release would cause insecurity in the South-east, where he comes from.

The government, through the office of the Attorney-General of the Federation, later appealed the court ruling and subsequently obtained an order staying the execution of the court judgement at the Supreme Court.

Delivering judgement on the appeal on 15 December 2023, the Supreme Court reversed the acquittal granted to Mr Kanu by the lower court and consequently ordered continuation of his trial at the Federal High Court Abuja.