Nnamdi Kanu’s Trial: DSS Not Responsible For Media Restriction

By Adesina Soyooye

Investigations reveal that the Directorate of Security Services, DSS, had no hand in the restriction of the number of Media Houses accredited to cover the trial of the Leader of the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra, IPOB, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, at the Federal High Court, Abuja.

Strong criticisms had followed the limited number of Media Houses – 10 in number – accredited by the DSS to cover the trial on July 26.

However, it turns out that the DSS accredited only the names given to them by the Federal High Court. The names were not compiled by the Federal High Court either.

They were compiled by the National Association  of Judiciary Correspondents, Abuja, (NAJUC), which has its Media Centre at the Federal High Court, Maitama, Abuja.

The list containing those to be accredited was signed by NAJUC’s Secretary General, Paschal Njoku, and  Kayode Lawson, President.

It was handed over to Dr(Mrs) Catherine Oby Christopher, who then passed it on to the DSS for accreditstion. According to her, the Court worked with the list drawn by the Judiciary Correspondents.

It is not yet known why the list drawn by the Correspondents omitted a number of major Media Houses, but it was discovered that at full capacity, the Courtroom of the trial Judge, Hon Justice Binta Nyako, accommodates only 50 people, comfortably. But COVID-19 Protocols has even reduced the number.

Nyako is very strict with the COVID-19 Protocols.

For a case like that of Nnamdi Kanu, the Court Security had to be very much involved for crowd control.

However, Media Owners, under the umbrella of the Newspapers Proprietors’ Association of  Nigeria, NPAN, has waded into the compilation of the list of Media Houses for the next adjourned date in October.