There was a dramatic twist at the Federal High Court in Abuja on Thursday as former Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Chief Kanu Agabi (SAN), announced his withdrawal as lead counsel to the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu.
Kanu, who is standing trial on a seven-count charge bordering on terrorism filed by the Federal Government, appeared in court to continue his defence when Agabi informed the presiding judge, Justice James Omotosho, that his legal team would no longer be representing the defendant.
According to Agabi, the decision followed Kanu’s instruction to personally take back control of his case. In a surprising turn, all other Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SANs) previously on the defence team equally announced their withdrawal.
Confirming the development, Nnamdi Kanu told the court that he would now be representing himself “for the time being,” though he hinted that the position might change in future.
Justice Omotosho, seeking clarity on the matter, asked whether the court
should assign a new lawyer to him, but Kanu politely declined, choosing to proceed alone.The IPOB leader, while addressing the court, began his oral submission by challenging the court’s jurisdiction to try him.
It would be recalled that on October 16, Justice Omotosho had granted Kanu six consecutive days — starting from October 23 — to open and close his defence, in line with the accelerated hearing earlier approved in the case.
In his earlier filings, Kanu had listed several high-profile figures, including former Attorney-General of the Federation Abubakar Malami; Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike; Minister of Works, Dave Umahi; Governor of Lagos State, Babajide Sanwo-Olu; former Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai (rtd); and former Minister of Defence, Gen. Theophilus Danjuma (rtd), among others, as his witnesses.
The atmosphere in court was tense as observers and supporters watched the unfolding drama, marking yet another twist in a case that continues to generate national and international attention.
NnamdiKanu #KanuAgabi #IPOB #Abuja #JusticeOmotosho #CourtUpdate #NigeriaNews #BreakingNews #RuleOfLaw
