“It is the worst kind of abuse of legal process that we have encountered in the history of legal practice – either in Nigeria or anywhere in the world.”
Ifeanyi Ejiofor, IPOB leader Nnamdi Kanu’s counsel, has accused President Muhammadu Buhari’s regime of abusing court process after receiving 15 fresh charges against his client a day before trial.
Mr Ejiofor disclosed this on Monday evening following a visit to Mr Kanu whose trial was expected to resume Tuesday.
He stated that the attorney general of the federation Abubakar Malami had increased the counts from seven to 15, on the day preceding Mr Kanu’s trial as a calculated move to “needlessly prolonging proceedings.”
The 15-count amended charges bordered on terrorism and treasonable felony.
“The meeting also afforded us the opportunity to further brief Onyendu on a completely ridiculous 15-count amended charge filed and served on us today, the 17th day of January 2022 on a matter already fixed for hearing of our preliminary objection on the 18th day of January, 2022. What a joke!” wrote Mr Ejiofor. “Today, we were served with a 15-count amended charge filed by the director of public prosecution of the federation in respect of a case already scheduled tomorrow, for the hearing of our preliminary objection challenging the competence of the seven-count amended charge.”
Describing the amended charge as “a joke taken too far,” Mr Ejiofor lampooned the regime for using such tactic to delay justice.
“This is indeed a joke taken too far as the Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN) is now scouting for an opportunity to truncate tomorrow’s proceeding, knowing fully well that the smokescreen charge is dead on arrival,” he pointed out.
He said it “is the worst kind of abuse of legal process that we have encountered in the history of legal practice – either in Nigeria or anywhere in the world.”
The IPOB leader’s counsel added that it was done “in bad faith and is aimed at needlessly prolonging proceedings.”
“It is worthy to note that an amended seven-count charge had earlier been filed against Onyendu Mazi Nnamdi Kanu since October 2021, pursuant to which a preliminary objection was raised against this seven-count amended charge,” he stated. The parties have fully filed and exchanged processes and arguments on the objection, and the same has been set down for hearing.”
Mr Ejiofor also stated that the fresh charges filed a day before Mr Kanu’s trial was an indication of the brazenness of Mr Buhari’s regime in abusing court process.
“Brazenly, a day before the hearing date, and without affording the court the opportunity to listen to arguments on the objection, and make a decision on the objection raised one way or the other, the prosecution, in utter bad faith, filed a further amended charge to supersede and supplant the earlier amended charge on which issues have been joined on the objection raised against it,” argued Mr Ejiofor. “This is, indeed, the worst kind of abuse of the court process.”
