By Akinwale Kasali
Reactions have trailed the ban placed by Justice Binta Nyako on the leader of the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra, IPOB, Nnamdi Kanu from wearing Isi-Agu to her Court.
Isi-agu is a popular Igbo traditional dress. Kanu is being prosecuted in Nyako’s Court by the Federal Government on sundry offences, including alleged terrorism and treasonable felony.
Nyako said this on Wednesday during Kanu’s appearance before Nyako’s Court.
The Director of Legal, DSS told the court that family members of Kanu brought a cloth with a lion’s heart, which “offends the standard operating procedures of the service.
The DSS was responding to the Court’s ’s question on why Kanu still wore his white Fendi designer cloth to Court.
Ozekhome had complained that despite the Court’s ’s order, the DSS had refused Kanu change of cloths.
However, Justice Nyako asked the defendant; “Mr Kanu, what type of cloth do you want to wear”?
“I want to wear the clothes of my people, ‘Isi Agu’”, Kanu replied.
Responding swiftly, the Judge said ‘that kind of cloth cannot be worn in my court’.
Nyako, however, fixed April 8, for ruling on the preliminary objection filed by Kanu challenging the validity of the 15-count amended charge preferred against him by the Federal Government.
Nyako fixed the date after Chief Mike Ozekhome SAN, Kanu’s Counsel, and Shuaibu Labaran, the prosecution Counsel, adopted arguments for, and against the defendant’s preliminary objection.
In a short adumbration, Ozekhome pleaded with the court to acquit his client and dismiss all the charges filed against Kanu by the Federal Government.
Ozekhome argued that the 15-count amended charge was ‘defective and baseless’.
Specifically, Ozekhome informed the Court that his application seeks the ‘quashing, striking out and dismissing of the 15-count amended charge’ against Kanu for being ‘incompetent and denying the court of jurisdiction’ to entertain charge.
