Stories by Vivian Okejeme
Abuja
The trial of the embattled leader of Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) Nnamdi Kanu and three others before Justice Binta Nyako of the Federal High Court, Abuja, with the identities of prosecution witnesses shielded from the public, commences tomorrow.
Kanu was previously facing a six-count treason charge with Benjamin Madubugwu and David Nwawuisi, before the federal government amended the charges to include Mr. Chidiebere Onwudiwe as one of the defendants.
At the last sitting, Justice Nyako’s ruling granted the federal government’s application to shield the names and addresses of the prosecution witnesses who are largely security operatives.
Nyako’s ruling was greeted with angry pro-Biafra storming the court premises, protesting against the ruling with Kanu and other defendants who are answering to an 11-count charge bordering on treasonable felony and terrorism, expressed their displeasure over the decision.
Delivering the judgment, Nyako ruled, “I hereby order that the names of the prosecution witnesses who are security operatives should appear in combination of alphabets and such witnesses will be given screens which will be provided by the court.
“The defendants and their counsel will be able to see the witnesses who will be given special access to and from the court,” Justice Nyako ruled.
The pro-Biafra agitators engaged prison warders and other security operatives in a scuffle at the court premises over the development.
The prosecution had applied for all the witnesses to be allowed to testify behind screen and for identities of the witnesses not to be revealed in any record of the proceedings.
However, the defendant through his counsel, Mr. Ifeanyi Ejiofor, opposed the application, arguing that granting such request would amount to a gross violation of their rights to fair hearing.
“We vehemently oppose secret trial of the defendants. They were accused in the open, we also request that they be tried in the open.
“The defendants need to see those testifying against them eye-ball-to-eye-ball,” he said.
It will be recalled that the federal government alleged that they committed the offence along with others now at large, on diverse dates in 2014 and 2015, in Nigeria, London and United Kingdom.
It told the court that the defendant conspired among themselves to broadcast on Radio Biafra which is monitored in Enugu and its environs, preparations they were making for states in the South-South zones and other communities in Kogi and Benue states, to secede from the Federal Republic of Nigeria with a view to constituting same into a Republic of Biafra.
The defendants had on November 8, pleaded not guilty to all the charges against them, even as the court adjourned to hear their bail applications.
