Justice Binta Nyako of the Federal High Court in Abuja on Wednesday expressed displeasure at the decision by defence lawyers in the trial of the self-acclaimed leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) Nnamdi Kanu.
Justice Nyako however declined the request by the prosecution to deem Kanu’s application abandoned, his lawyers having decided to boycott proceedings.
As it has become the practice in recent time, armed security operatives, drawn from the State Security Service (SSS) and the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) flooded the Federal High Court premises as early as 6am.
They screened everybody and decided who accessed the court, thereby denying some lawyers in the defence team access into the courtroom.
Before the commencement of proceedings, some lawyers in the defence team, who were inside the courtroom, led by Ifeanyi Ejiofor, staged a walk out in protest against the refusal of the security agents to allow others in the team, including a foreigner, into the courtroom.
When proceedings commenced a little after 10 am, Kanu, who was brought into the courtroom around 9:52am, complained that security agents prevented some of his lawyers, particularly Bruce Fein from the United States access into the court room.
