The Federal High Court in Abuja has warned that it may close the defence of the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, after he again failed to open his defence in the ongoing terrorism case filed against him by the Federal Government.
At Tuesday’s hearing, Kanu—who dismissed his legal team and now represents himself—refused to proceed with his defence, maintaining that he has “no case to answer.” He argued that the charges against him were invalid and that the court lacked jurisdiction to try him for offences “unknown to any law.”
Kanu urged the presiding judge, Justice James Omotosho, to consider his pending motion challenging the court’s jurisdiction and to order his release from the Department of State Services (DSS) custody, where he has been detained since 2021.
However, prosecution counsel, Chief Adegboyega Awomolo (SAN), accused Kanu of deliberately stalling the trial. He urged the court to treat the documents Kanu recently filed as his final written address so that judgment could proceed without further delay.
In a brief ruling, Justice Omotosho rejected the prosecution’s objection, stating that the court would consider Kanu’s filings. The judge, however, noted that since Kanu is not a trained lawyer, the court would give him one last opportunity to seek legal advice.
Justice Omotosho cautioned that if Kanu fails to open his defence at the next sitting, the court will close his case and proceed accordingly. The matter was adjourned until Wednesday for continuation.
