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Kanu’s lawyer, Ejiofor, kicks against fresh charges by Nigerian govt

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Nnamdi Kanu

Mr. Ifeanyi Ejiofor, a senior member in the legal defence team to Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), has slammed the Federal Government of Nigeria over fresh terrorism charges against his client.

He described the new charges as “underhand tactics” by the Nigerian government in efforts to convict Kanu.
He stated this in a press statement he authored on Saturday in Abuja, claiming that FG had yet to serve him with a copy of the seven-count amended charge.

He argued: “From all indications, the new alleged charge has the same Charge No. FHC/ABJ/ER/383/2015, as the one already pronounced upon and struck out by the Court of Appeal, Abuja Division.

“The said intermediate court completely discharged Onyendu Mazi Nnamdi Kanu; and further prohibited his being tried or prosecuted in any court of law in Nigeria.

“The said judgment of the Court of Appeal is extant and still subsists till date; and has not been set aside by any superior court.

“Onyendu Mazi Nnamdi Kanu’ s formidable team ably by the oracle of the Law – Chief Ozekhome SAN – has already promptly appealed to the Supreme Court against the Court of Appeal’s ruling staying execution of its own judgment which had set Kanu free.

READ ALSO:Kanu writes IPOB, supporters, issues 7-point directives ahead of Supreme Court ruling

“The Appeal in respect thereto has been duly entered in Appeal No. SC/CR/1394/2022, at the Supreme Court, and is now awaiting a date for hearing.

“It is also worthy to note that this judgment of the Court of Appeal still stands till date as same has not been set aside by the Supreme Court.

He said: “It is imperative to state therefore that on the strength of this judgment, no charge of whatever nature, and under any guise, can ever be presented or stand against Onyendu Mazi Nnamdi Kanu before any court of law in Nigeria.

The lawyer stressed: “Our inquiry this evening upon reading about the phantom charge in the social media, revealed to us that the rumored charge was surreptitiously but clandestinely filed by the Federal Government hours after the judgment of the Court of Appeal was delivered on the 13th Day of October, 2022. This was even before it had received a certified true copy of the said judgment of the Court of Appeal.

“The filing of the said charge was clearly ill-informed and ill-advised, because the Prosecutor (Federal Government), we presume and may want to believe, was not at that point in time aware of the details, full import and implication, of the well delivered judgment of the Court of Appeal, at the time of filing the said charge.

“We also want to believe that this is what has led to Federal Government’s abandonment of the charge after it was hurriedly filed.

“It is pertinent to note also that the Federal Government did not take any step to either serve the charge on our Client – Onyendu Mazi Nnamdi Kanu – or on our erudite lead Counsel – Chief Mike Ozekhome, SAN – after it was filed; even till this moment.

“This to doubly assure UMUCHINEKE that our legal team eminently led by the legal icon of our time – Chief Mike Ozekhome, SAN – will be in court on Monday, the 14th of November, 2022, to tackle any underhand tactics or results the Federal Government may have planned to achieve by sleight of hand, with a charge which has been pronounced dead like “dodo”; and permanently buried”, the statement reads in part.

By Mohammed Taoheed

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