The Legal Aid Council has formally withdrawn from representing the leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, citing serious disagreements over how his case should be conducted.
The development occurred on Tuesday at the Federal High Court in Abuja, where Justice James Omotosho also struck out an ex parte application filed by Kanu.
The motion had sought his transfer from the Sokoto Correctional Centre to another custodial facility closer to the Federal Capital Territory.
Counsel from the Legal Aid Council, Demdoo Asan, applied to withdraw from the matter, informing the court that irreconcilable differences had emerged between the Council and the applicant.
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While explaining the circumstances, Asan told the court that efforts to involve Kanu’s relatives in supporting the application were unsuccessful.
“Since the last adjourned date, I have been on constant phone communication with the relatives of the applicant.
However, the relatives of the applicant didn’t show up at our office to depose to the application, despite phone calls and promises to show up,” he said.
The lawyer further alleged that Kanu sought to interfere with the professional independence of his legal representatives by attempting to dictate how the case should be argued in court.
“Also, the applicant wants to dictate the tune of the matter; he wants to control what counsel would say. He wants to write down what I would say while in court.
But, as an officer of the court, I can’t, in good faith, accept that,” Demdoo said.
According to Asan, consultations with senior officials of the Legal Aid Council led to a unanimous decision to step aside from the case, as it was improper for a client to control court proceedings, particularly from detention.
Following the withdrawal of counsel, Justice Omotosho struck out the pending application seeking Kanu’s relocation to a facility closer to Abuja.
Kanu was convicted on November 20 for terrorism-related offences and sentenced to life imprisonment. His family has rejected the judgment and announced plans to challenge it on appeal.
After the conviction, the court ordered his transfer from the Kuje Custodial Centre in Abuja to the Sokoto Correctional Centre, ruling that the Abuja facility was not suitable for his continued detention.
