On Friday, the legal team representing the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, announced that they would not oppose the consideration of a political solution to resolve the longstanding case between their client and the Federal Government.
Led by Kanu’s special counsel, Mr. Alloy Ejimakor, the lawyers emphasized that Section 17 of the Federal High Court Act grants the trial judge the authority to propose reconciliation, often termed as a “political solution,” for settling such disputes.
“The provision of that section is not limited to civil matters alone. So, anyone who puts the issue on the table, will consider it. A political solution makes better sense than prosecution.
“However, it is for the government to put it on the table, then we will consider it. Having said that, we first have to defend him and not play politics. Right now, what is on our table is to fight for his defense.
“If they bring that option to the table and our client gives us the instruction, we will go for it,” Ejimakor told newsmen.
Citing cases of the freed Yoruba nation agitator, Sunday Adeyemo, popularly known as Sunday Igboho, and that of social rights activist, Omoyele Sowore, Kanu’s lawyer said he was hopeful that the President Bola Tinubu-led administration would adopt a new approach to handle the matter, different from what was done by his predecessor.
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“We urge President Tinubu to carefully review this case which he inherited from the past administration and see if it was not politically motivated.
“Our client did not deserve the travail and tribulations he has been forced to endure. Sometimes, we do wonder what made his case unique. People wonder if it is because of where he hails from that made his case different,” Kanu’s counsel added.
Besides, Ejimakor berated the prosecution for not granting the embattled IPOB leader the facility to adequately prepare his defense to the charge.
He alleged that the Department of State Services, DSS, has continued to either deny the defendant access to his lawyers or to monitor his private conversations.
“We have concerns about the privacy of our conversations. There was a day I was speaking with my client, in the company of a colleague, and they took secret photographs of us. We were surprised when they later mistakenly filed that photo in court.
“When we visit him (Kanu), we whisper in fear, afraid that someone may be secretly recording the entire discussion.
“Under the present circumstance, our hope of getting a fair trial is zero. There is no way that Kanu can get a fair trial under the present condition of his detention. It is impossible,” Ejimakor insisted.