In a charged, high\u2011stakes scene unfolding in Abuja, the embattled leader of the banned Indigenous\u202fPeople\u202fof\u202fBiafra (IPOB), Nnamdi\u202fKanu, has dramatically shifted the terrain of his long\u2011running trial: rejecting the classic defensive posture and instead signalling his readiness to\u00a0enter full defence\u00a0of the case against him.<\/p>\n
On Monday, security forces moved swiftly to suppress protests in the Federal Capital City of Abuja called in support of Kanu \u2014 deploying tear\u2011gas, armoured vehicles and water\u2011cannons to block roads and stifle crowds.<\/p>\n
Only hours later, in the halls of justice, Kanu delivered a blow to the prosecution\u2019s tempo by formally declaring that he\u00a0will\u00a0begin his own defence \u2014 just as the court had earlier ruled he must.<\/p>\n
Judge James\u202fOmotosho, presiding at the Federal High Court in Abuja, found that the federal government\u2019s prosecution had established a\u00a0prima facie case\u00a0against Kanu. In other words: the evidence presented so far is sufficient to require Kanu to answer it \u2014 not convict him, but ensure his side is heard.<\/p>\n
The court overruled Kanu\u2019s \u201cno\u2010case submission\u201d strategy \u2014 a legal manoeuvre asking for dismissal before defence starts \u2014 and ordered the defence phase to begin.<\/p>\n
In a motion filed Tuesday, Kanu personally informed the court he is ready to open his defence, according to a filing signed by him. He revealed plans to call\u00a023 witnesses, divided into two categories: \u201cordinary but material\u201d and \u201cvital and compellable\u201d under Section\u202f232 of the Evidence Act, 2011.<\/p>\n
He further requested a\u00a090\u2011day timeframe\u00a0to carry out his defence work, citing the number and complexity of witnesses to be marshalled.<\/p>\n
Among those listed for possible summons: senior military and political figures \u2014 e.g., retired Generals Theophilus\u202fDanjuma and Tukur\u202fBuratai, governors from Lagos and Imo states, and former ministers. The notice said the defendant himself would testify, offering a \u201csworn account\u201d that denies the prosecution\u2019s narrative and situates his actions in a broader political context.<\/p>\n
Kanu has been in detention \u2014 following an extraordinary rendition from Kenya in 2021 \u2014 and the state has labelled IPOB a terrorist organisation.<\/p>\n
The trial has been shadowed by allegations of bias, jurisdiction challenges and concerns over solitary detention and health.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
In a charged, high\u2011stakes scene unfolding in Abuja, the embattled leader of the banned Indigenous\u202fPeople\u202fof\u202fBiafra (IPOB), Nnamdi\u202fKanu, has dramatically shifted the terrain of his long\u2011running trial: rejecting the classic defensive posture and instead signalling his readiness to\u00a0enter full defence\u00a0of the case against him. On Monday, security forces moved swiftly to suppress protests in the Federal […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":92967,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[1048,3505,470],"class_list":["post-95570","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-news","tag-defence","tag-generals","tag-kanu"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/95570","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=95570"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/95570\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/92967"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=95570"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=95570"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=95570"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}