Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court in Abuja has given the detained leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, a final opportunity to open his defence in his ongoing trial for alleged terrorism.
At the resumed hearing on Wednesday, Justice Omotosho said it was his responsibility as a judge to ensure that the defendant was given adequate opportunity to defend himself before the court.
The judge made the remark while ruling on an application filed by the prosecuting counsel, Adegboyega Awomolo, SAN, who urged the court to foreclose the defendant’s right to defence after Kanu allegedly failed to utilize five of the six days allocated for his defence.
Awomolo reminded the court that during Tuesday’s sitting, the court had adjourned to Wednesday for Kanu to either open his defence or be deemed to have waived his right to do so.
However, at the resumption of proceedings, Kanu reportedly refused to enter his defence, insisting that there was no valid charge against him before the court.
The prosecution, therefore, urged the court to record Kanu’s refusal and proceed to adjourn the matter for judgment.
Speaking from the dock, Kanu—who chose to represent himself—reiterated that the charges filed against him were legally defective and therefore invalid, adding that he could not defend himself against a charge that “does not exist in law.”
Justice Omotosho, however, ruled that the court would give the defendant one final chance to present his case before any decision is made on whether to close his defence.
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