Human rights lawyer, Chief Mike Ozekhome, SAN, on Wednesday, told Justice Binta Nyako of a Federal High Court in Abuja that his client and leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu, might go blind because he was losing his sight.
Also on Wednesday, the Department of State Services and IPoB leader disagreed over clothes that could be worn by the latter.
His counsel, also said, Kanu, who is currently in the custody of the Department of State Services, may go blind if nothing is done urgently to restore his sight.
Kanu is facing trial for alleged links with terrorism.
Ozekhome, who recently took over the defence team of the embattled IPOB leader, decried that his client’s pair of eyeglasses was confiscated in 2015, when he was initially arrested by the DSS following his return to Nigeria from the United Kingdom.
He also told the court that a new pair of eyeglasses that Kanu bought was also seized from him during his rendition from Kenya.
Ozekhome said, “My lord, in 2015, his pair of glasses was taken from him. The one he wore before his extraordinary rendition from Kenya was also taken from him.
“Till now, he does not have glasses to wear and his eyesight is deteriorating.
“My lord, we do not want the defendant to go blind; that is why we have decided to bring it to the attention of the court.”
After listening to the counsel, Justice Nyako said she would look into the matter.
Ozekhome also bemoaned that despite an express order of the court, the DSS had declined to allow the IPOB leader to have a change of clothing.
He alleged that the security agency refused to allow Kanu to receive new clothes that were brought to him by his younger brother, Emmanuel.
The lawyer stated, “My lord will still see the defendant in the same uniform, which my lord warned against during the last proceedings.
“It will be recalled that they had on that day alleged that he said he preferred to wear the same cloth, because it is designers.
“However, since that time, the younger brother of the defendant, his lawyer and sister have gone three times with materials for him to change, but they refused to collect them.
“So bad was it that Ejiofor had to call the Director of Legal Services and complain to him. The director told him that he would do something about it by contacting the Director of Operations to ensure that the order was carried out.
“But since then, nothing has been done. They have not allowed him to change his clothes.”
Meanwhile, the Director of Legal, DSS, told the court that Kanu’s family members brought a clothe with a lion’s heart, which “offends our standard operating procedures.”
He was responding to a question from the court on why Kanu still wore his white Fendi designer clothe to court.
Justice Nyako asked the defendant, “Mr Kanu, what type of clothes do you want to wear?”
“I want to wear the cloth of my people, Isi Agu,” Kanu replied.
The judge, however, said, “That kind of cloth cannot be worn in my court.”
Meanwhile, the DSS bowed to the order of the court by allowing free flow of traffic on all roads leading to the court.
Unlike during previous sessions, private and commercial vehicles were permitted to move about unhindered.
None of the roads leading to the court was blocked in compliance with the order of Justice Nyako.
All cases slated for the day at the court were allowed to be heard by the judges in charge due to the relaxation in the security arrangements.
Justice Nyako fixed April 8 for ruling on the preliminary objection filed by Kanu challenging the validity of the 15 amended charges filed against him by the Federal Government.
She fixed the date after Ozekhome and the prosecution counsel, Shuaibu Labaran, had adopted arguments for and against the defendant’s preliminary objection.
Ozekhome had pleaded with the court to dismiss all the charges filed against Kanu by the Federal Government.
He argued that the amended charges were “defective and baseless.”
The senior lawyer informed the court that his application was seeking to quash, strike out and dismiss the 15-count amended charge against Kanu for being “incompetent and denying the court of jurisdiction” to entertain it.
The application, with 34 grounds and supported by a 36-paragraph affidavit, Ozekhome said, also sought an order acquitting and discharging Kanu for want of jurisdiction and for the charges being defective, baseless and incompetent.
Ozekhome adopted his application and asked the court to quash, strike out and dismiss the entire charges.
