A Federal High Court in Abuja has just dismissed a N1 billion suit filed by the. detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, against the Federal Government and the Department of State Services (DSS).
In his judgment, the presiding judge, Justice James Omotoso held that the IPOB leader failed to show evidence that the DSS bugged his conversation with his lawyers, or that his lawyers were stopped from taking notes from him during the conversation.
According to the judge, there was no evidence before him to show that Lanu was denied a fair hearing as claimed in his suit.
The court consequently dismissed the suit for lacking in merit.
Kanu, through his lawyer, Aloy Ejimakor, filed the N1billion suit marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/1633/2023 to enforce his fundamental rights while in detention.
In the originating motion dated and filed December 4, 2023, the applicant sued the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF), DSS, and its DG as 1st to 4th respondents respectively.
The suit was filed under Order II, Rules 1 & 2 of the Fundamental Rights Enforcement Procedure Rules 2009, among others.
In the motion, the detained IPOB leader prayed for, “a declaration that the respondents’ act of forcible seizure and photocopying of confidential legal documents pertaining to facilitating the preparation of his defence which were brought to him at the respondents’ detention facility by his lawyers, amounted to denial of his rights to be defended by legal practitioners of his own choice”.
He also sought a declaration that the respondents’ act of refusing or preventing his counsel from taking notes of details of the counsel’s professional discussions/consultations with him at DSS detention.
This, he said, amounted to a denial of his right to be given adequate facilities to prepare his defence by legal practitioners of his own choice.
