Anita Ogona
The leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, is seeking to negotiate with the Nigerian government to drop the treasonable felony charges against him.
Nnamdi Kanu, indicated his willingness to engage in negotiations with the Federal Government through his lead counsel, Alloy Ejimakor.
This move is pursuant to Section 17 of the Federal High Court Act, which encourages amicable settlement and reconciliation among parties.
This was made known through his legal counsel, on Wednesday after he moved two applications brought before the court.
The first application is to move form 49 and an application objecting to the jurisdiction of the court.
Ejimakor said if the applications are denied they will move for the implementation of section 17 of the Federal High Court Act.
However, the Federal Government’s counsel, Adegboyega Awomolo, clarified that he lacks the authority to negotiate on behalf of the government, and instead suggested that Kanu’s team should approach the Attorney General of the Federation.
Justice Binta Nyako emphasized that the court’s role is to hear cases, not to solicit negotiations.
Kanu, who is leading a secessionist campaign for the creation of the Biafra Republic from Nigeria, faces trial at the Federal High Court in Abuja over his separatist campaigns.
At the hearing on Wednesday, Mr Kanu’s lawyer, Alloy Ejimakor, informed the judge, Binta Nyako, that his client was seeking to dialogue with the government to drop the charges.
The Defence Lawyer introduced the issue while moving an application objecting to the court’s jurisdiction to try the IPOB leader, who appears in court from the State Security Service (SSS) custody in Abuja.
He said he had discussed the proposition with the prosecuting counsel, Adegboyega Awomolo, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN).
According to the Defence Lawyer, the Prosecutor told him to defer the discussion to a future time.
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