- Ex AGF, Kanu Agabi leads defence team
At his fresh arraignment on Friday, the leader of the Biafra nation agitators, Nnamdi Kanu pleaded not guilty to the terrorism charges brought against him by the federal government.
Meanwhile, a former Attorney General of the Federation(AGF) and Minister of Justice, Chief Kanu Agabi, SAN now leads the agitator’s defence team.
Chief Agabi, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria is expected to lead Aloy Ejimakor who had been holding forth the embattled activist.
Kanu’s arraignment was conducted at the federal high court in Abuja before Justice James Kolawole Omotosho amid water tight security provided by operatives of the Department of the State Service DSS.
Upon the reading of the 7-count charges one by one, Kanu who dressed in his usual white sports wears denied the accusations of threatening Nigeria’s corporate existence and operating illegal radio station to broadcast the Biafra messages.
After the plea, the federal government counsel, Adegboyega Awomolo SAN announced to the court his readiness to conduct prosecution in line with the spirit and letters of the Supreme Court that ordered fresh trial.
He asked for an adjournment to enable him assemble his witnesses and also applied for accelerated hearing which was granted by the court.
Based on the request and having not objected by the defence counsel, Justice James Kolawole bOmotosho fixed April 29 and May 2 and 6, 2025 for full blown trial.
Kanu, who was brought back to the country in June 2021 from Kenya had since been in the custody of the DSS on the order of court, also conceded to speedy trial of the charges against him.
The Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, Justice John Tsoho, had, in a letter dated March 4, 2025 and addressed to Kanu’s lead counsel, Aloy Ejimakor, communicated the re-assignment of the case from Justice Binta Nyako to Justice Omotosho.
The re-assignment followed the demand by Kanu and his team of lawyers for the transfer of the seven-count terrorism charge to another judge after alleging bias.
Justice Nyako, on September 24, 2024, withdrew herself from the case and sent the case file to the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court for re-assignment.
The judge said she could not proceed with a trial where a defendant lacked confidence in the court.
Justice Ahmed Mohammed, who has been elevated to Appeal Court and Justice Tsoho (before becoming the CJ) had presided over Kanu’s trial before it was assigned to Justice Nyako, following the defendant’s rejection of the two judges.
However, unlike the previous proceedings, Kanu was cooled and calmed throughout the re-arraignment.
Our correspondent gathered that latest decision to engage Agabi was arrived at because of his persuasive approach in criminal matters.
The former AGF led the defence of former Senate President, Bukola Saraki when the federal government filed criminal charges against him on alleged false declaration of assets.
