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Judge tells Nnamdi Kanu to defend himself or lose his right
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The Federal High Court in Abuja, on Tuesday, gave the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPoB), Nnamdi Kanu, until tomorrow (5 November) to defend the terrorism charges filed against him or lose his right to do so.
The trial judge, Justice James Omotoso, advised Kanu to consult legal practitioners experienced in criminal law to assist with his defence or to formally appoint a lawyer to represent him in court.
Justice Omotosho’s decision followed Kanu’s continued refusal to open his defence, insisting that there was no valid charge pending against him.
Kanu, who represented himself during Tuesday’s proceedings, told the court that he would not return to detention unless the charges against him were properly presented.
He argued that his continued detention by the Department of State Services was unlawful, maintaining that he had not breached any known law.
He also accused the court of disregarding the Supreme Court’s judgement which, according to him, condemned his extraordinary rendition from Kenya.
He demanded that the trial judge immediately discharge him from custody.
When reminded that the Supreme Court had ordered a fresh trial, Kanu maintained his position that the terrorism charge was invalid and incompetent.
Citing Section 36(12) of the 1999 Constitution, he argued that there was no existing law creating a terrorism offence in Nigeria.
‘In Nigeria today, the Constitution is the supreme law. There is no valid charge against me. I will not go back to detention today. The Terrorism Prevention and Prohibition Act has been repealed. I cannot defend myself under a repealed law’, Kanu said.
He further challenged any lawyer to show him a valid charge, urging the court to ‘take judicial notice’ of what he claimed was the repeal of the terrorism law.
‘I cannot be tried under a law that has been repealed. Prosecuting me under such a law is a violation of my fundamental rights’, he insisted.
After several attempts to persuade him to enter his defence, Justice Omotosho adjourned proceedings until Wednesday, giving Kanu the final opportunity to either defend the charge or forfeit his right to do so.
During the session, counsel for the Federal Government, Chief Adegboyega Awomolo, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, informed the court that some documents served on him by Kanu were unsigned and not endorsed by the court, arguing that they held no evidential value.
He urged the court to disregard the documents, adopt his final address, and set a date for judgement.
However, Justice Omotosho overruled him, stating that the documents contained in the court’s record were duly signed and bore evidence of payment.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has clinched the APC presidential ticket for 2027 after a landslide win in the party’s primaries held Saturday across 36 states and the FCT.
The results were declared Sunday at the Bola Ahmed Tinubu International Conference Centre in Abuja. Tinubu polled 10,999,967 votes, defeating sole challenger Stanley Osifo who got 16,504 votes.
Osifo failed to register a single vote in 21 states and the FCT. His only recorded vote came in Edo State.
His best showings were in Niger with 5,248 votes, Kano with 2,675, Bauchi with 2,650, and Abia with 1,007.
Tinubu swept every state, with his highest tallies in Lagos at 814,988, Adamawa at 644,149, Kaduna at 618,914, and Imo at 582,960. Kano delivered 500,852 votes, Katsina 467,003, and Gombe 450,517.
Other notable results:
– Bayelsa: 227,192
– Delta: 407,646
– Borno: 414,988
– Enugu: 383,382
– Akwa Ibom: 389,197
– Benue: 374,787
– Ogun: 322,485
– Kwara: 310,990
– Sokoto: 301,000
The party said the primaries covered all 484 wards in Kano, where Tinubu also swept every ward.
With the outcome, Tinubu is now the official APC candidate heading into the 2027 general election.
Abuja Electricity Distribution Company has finally announced that it has restored electricity supply to State House, Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Lugbe, Garki, and other areas in the nation’s capital after an outage.
AEDC disclosed this in a notice on Saturday night.
Recall that major parts of Abuja were thrown into darkness due to the Transmission Company of Nigeria’s Apo substation fault.
TCN had on Saturday issued an update noting that its engineers were working to fix the fault.
In a notice later on Saturday night, AEDC announced electricity supply has been restored to affected areas.
“Abuja Electricity Distribution Plc (AEDC) is pleased to inform our esteemed customers that power supply has now been restored to affected feeders following the successful restoration of the 100MVA Transformer (TR3) at the Apo Transmission Substation by the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN),” AEDC stated.
By Kayode Sanni-Arewa
Joshua Adeji & Co, a Lagos-based law firm established in 2016 by Joshua Osemudiamen Adeji has opened its new office and mediation center in Lagos.
The office is situated at 16, Adeniran Ogunsanya, Surulere, in Lagos.
Speaking at an event that brought together clients, business leaders, and key figures in Nigeria’s legal community to celebrate the firm’s continued growth and commitment to excellence, the Principal partner, Joshua Adeji reiterated the firm’s steadfastness to offer top-tier legal services to clients across multiple sectors of Nigeria’s and Africa as a whole.
He further stated that the newly established law firm and its Mediation Centre would serve as a hub for fast, amicable and efficient resolution of commercial disputes.
The Firm, he stated, would assist clients to amicably resolve their disputes to align with their commercial goals and help clients navigate complex laws, protect their rights, and resolve disputes.
Tinubu clears APC primary elections with 10.9m votes, secures 2027 ticket(See results)
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