Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of the outlawed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), through his team of lawyers led by a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Mike Ozekhome, has decried that over one month after his case was fixed for trial, the Federal Government chose to amend the charge against him, barely 24 hours to the scheduled court hearing.
POLITICS NIGERIA reports that Ozekhome (SAN) who appeared to take over Kanu’s defence team on Tuesday, told the Federal High court, Abuja, that FG served the 15-count amended charge on them, late in the evening on Monday.
“My lord, the proposed amended charge was served on us yesterday evening. As I speak to you my lord, the Defendant who was just brought in has not even seen the charge which he is being told to enter his plea.
“With due respect, that is not Justice. It is ambushing. I know that the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, ACJA, allows them to amend, but this is the 6th amendment they are making, and each time they do it, they serve us a day to the hearing, just to frustrate the trial”, Ozekhome lamented.
Besides, he noted that the proof of evidence, as well as extra-judicial statements of witnesses, were not attached to the amended charge.
He also argued that his client must be furnished with such “evidential materials”, before he could be called upon to enter his defence to the charge, stressing that going ahead with the proceeding, would amount to a breach of Kanu’s right to fair hearing guaranteed under section 36 of the 1999 Constitution, as amended.
Kanu’s trial is expected to continue today, Wednesday.