Court adjourns Nnamdi Kanu’s trial to January 18

* Orders DSS to give him due comfort

By Jon Egie

Contrary to widespread expectation, the leader of IPOB, Nnamdi Kanu was not released on bail by the Federal High Court, Abuja where he is standing trial.

Expectations were high, yesterday, that the IPOB leader would be released on bail during the emergency trail scheduled for Thursday, December 2.

But the court adjourned the case to January 18, 19 and 20, 2022 with firm instructions on the Department of State Services, DSS, where Nnamdi Kanu is being held in custody to treat the IPOB leader with the comfort he desired.

Justice Binta Murtala Nyako told the operatives of the Department of State Services(DSS), to allow Nnamdi Kanu practice his faith in detention.

The judge gave the verbal order on Thursday following complaints in the application filed by Kanu’s counsel, Ifeanyi Ejiofor, that his client was being denied certain things in detention.

The shift in the trial date followed the abridgment of time granted by the Judge following a passionate plea to that effect.

Kanu’s counsel, Ifeanyi Ejiofor, had approached the court with an application seeking the order of the court to accommodate the trial in November and December this year as against the earlier January 19.

Shuaib Labaran who stood for the federal government, however, told the court that a counter affidavit opposing the request by the federal government has been filed and served on Kanu.

Justice Nyako, however, cut in and informed Kanu’s lawyer that the application for time abridgment cannot be considered because there was no judicial time for such an issue.

In the drama that ensued, the case diary of the court was read to the lawyer to establish that the court has crowded cases to attend to.

However, following the insistence, Justice Nyako agreed to shift other cases slated for January 18 to accommodate the trial which will last between January 19 and 20.

Justice Nyako also ordered the DSS to allow Kanu to practice his faith, change his clothes and be given maximum possible comfort in detention facility.