Justice Ahmed Mohammed of the Federal High Court Abuja Wednesday sought an excuse to step aside from hearing the fresh treason charges the federal government leveled against Nnamidi Kanu, leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, on December 18.
Justice Mohammed said Kanu has the right to reject the trial because justice is rooted in confidence. “If any of the parties has no confidence in the court, he has the right to say so,” the judge said, adding that the prosecution could have done the same thing if they were in Kanu’s shoes.
“I hereby remit the case file to the honourable chief judge of this court to reassign it,” he said.
Kanu had faulted the case by citing consistent flouting of no fewer than four rulings in his prosecution that got him detained for over 90 days by the Department of State Security. ,
He told the court during his objection he would rather the DSS kept him in detention rather that submit to a trial whose outcomes won’t be of any relevant as far as the federal government is concerned.
But Mohammed Diri, who is the counsel to the DSS and director of prosecution in the office of the Attorney-General of the federation, said Kanu has no right objecting to the trial until after the hearing, citing Section 396(2) of the 1999 Constitution.
In the fresh charges, the government accused the director of Radio Biafra of planning to split Nigeria, by creating a Biafra Republic that will annex the southeast, south-south states, parts of Kogi, and Benue states.