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| Kanu |
Hearing into the case of alleged fundamental rights
violation brought before the ECOWAS Court of Justice by leader of the
Indigenous People of Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu
was on Tuesday stalled following the absence of the respondent counsel in
court.
The lead counsel to the Nigerian government, Dayo Akpata was reportedly having a meeting
with the Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo
and subsequently unable to make it to Tuesday's court session.
The applicant, Mr.
Kanu had approached the court through his lawyer, Ifeanyi Ejiofor, with a motion against the
Nigerian government on alleged violation of his rights and demanded an order of
the ECOWAS Court for government to pay a sum of $800 million as damages for the
alleged violation.
The matter had been adjourned for further hearing of the
substantive suit and inclusion of fresh motions by Mr. Ejiofor on Tuesday, but was further adjourned following the
inability of the prosecution counsel to attend the hearing.
A counsel representing the Attorney General at the
court, Abdullahi Abubakar asked for
separate adjournments on Tuesday, at the instance of the prosecution.
Mr. Abubakar earlier told the court that Mr. Akpata was at
the Supreme Court for a different matter and asked for a short postponement of
the hearing.
Following Mr. Abubakar's application, the case was stood down for two hours.
After the court resumed session on the matter, Mr. Abubakar again approached the court with
another request for an adjournment on the grounds of the fact that Mr. Akpata
who is also the solicitor-general of the federation, was having a meeting with
the Vice President.
Mr. Abubakar further told the court that his team had not
gotten some of the documents from a previous ruling in the ECOWAS Court.
Responding however,
Mr. Ejiofor accused the Nigerian government of 'deliberately delaying
the matter'.
Mr. Ejiofor asked the court to compel the respondent to pay
a cost of N 2, million for what he described as deliberate frustration of the
matter.
Reacting to the submission of Mr. Ejiofor, Mr. Abubakar said the previous adjournment on
the matter was not at the instance of the respondent but based on a request
from the court.
The three-member panel,
led by Justice Hemeye Mahdmadane consented to the submissions of Mr.
Abubakar regarding the facts resulting in the last adjournment.
The court also postponed the matter till November 21, for
hearing of all the applications and determination of Mr. Ejiofor's motion for
award of cost against the respondents.
Reacting to questions from journalists as to the reason for
his client's absence in court, Mr.
Ejiofor reiterated his earlier stance that 'only the Nigerian army can speak on
Mr. Kanu's current location.
"The Military and Federal government are in a position
to tell me where my client is. We are going to settle it in court," he
said.
Mr. Kanu has not been seen in public, since September 14,
after Mr. Ejiofor accused the Nigerian army of invading his client's residence
and 'possibly killing or abducting Mr. Kanu'.
The applicant is facing trial for alleged treason able
offenses.
His group, the
Indigenous People of Biafra has been proscribed as a terrorist group by the
Nigerian governmen
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