The trial of the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu, could not proceed on Monday as scheduled, as the State Security Service (SSS) failed to produce him in court.
The trial was stalled not just because of the IPOB leader’s absence from court, but also because the court’s judges’ vacation started on Monday, the trial judge, Binta Nyako, said.
Justice Nyako adjourned the case till October 21.
Earlier, the prosecuting lawyer, M. B Abubakar, informed the judge that Kanu’s absence from court might be due to “logistical” issues encountered by the SSS, in whose custody the IPOB leader is.
But Kanu’s lawyer, Ifeanyi Ejiofor, countered the prosecution’s position, saying the IPOB leader had been taken away out of Abuja.
Kanu fled the country after the invasion of his home in Afara-Ukwu, near Umuahia, Abia State, by the military in September 2020.
He was, however, rearrested and brought back to Nigeria in June after four years to continue his trial on charges of treasonable felony, among others.
