Lawyers representing the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, have faulted Thursday’s ruling of the Federal High Court in Abuja ordering their client to open and close his defence within one week.
They also accused the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) of fabricating a medical report on Kanu’s health without conducting any examination as ordered by the court.
Addressing journalists after the court proceedings, Kanu’s Special Counsel, Barrister Aloy Ejimakor, described the ruling as “surprising” and “a very sad outcome.”
“That was quite a surprising ruling today. We were served the medical report suddenly, and as a matter of surprise, in court today, which the court ordered the Nigerian Medical Association to submit on September 26,” Ejimakor said.
He noted that the report presented in court was dated October 13, long after the court’s directive, leaving the defence no time to study or respond to it.
“That medical report we were served in open court today was dated October 13. This obviously means that the defence has no ample opportunity to react to it. It was more of an ambush,” he said.
“Moreover, the court had ordered that Mazi Nnamdi Kanu be examined by the Nigerian Medical Association, but that examination was never carried out, and the order was entered on September 26 and restated on October 8.”
According to Ejimakor, the NMA never examined Kanu as required but rather based its report on “informal meetings” held with him at the Department of State Services (DSS) headquarters in Abuja on September 18.
“That order was never obeyed. They never examined him. That report was based on some informal meetings they held with Mazi Nnamdi Kanu as far back as September 18 at the DSS headquarters in Abuja, when they were invited to do that by the DSS.
