Latest news with #AdegboyegaAwomolo
BBC News
18-07-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Nigerian govment reject Nnamdi Kanu 'no case submission', court adjourn mata for ruling
One High Court for Abuja don set 10 October as di day to rule on di 'No Case' submission wey di proscribed Ipob leader, Nnamdi Kanu bring for court through im lawyers. Di 'No Case' submission wey dem date 4th July 2025, and file on 14th July, 2025, bin dey adopted on Friday. No Case Submission na legal argument wey defence counsel dey usually present afta di prosecution present dia case finish to show say, di evidence wey dem bring come no dey enough to prove from am alone say di defendant do wetin dem tok say e do. Dis dey come usually bifor di defence start to present dia own case for court. While adopting dia written address, di lead counsel to di defendant, Kanu Agabi. SAN, inform di court of dia reasons for filing a 'No Case' submission say: For di prosecution response, Adegboyega Awomolo, SAN, tok say di prosecution don call five witnesses wey dem use prove evri element for di case. E also tok say di judge no suppose enta di koko of di case or di evidence, say im own na just to determine weda di defendant need tok anytin in im defense. Oga Adegboyega also reason say di law ban any statement wey go cause fear. So if di defendant say e bin just dey boast, e need to explain am. For di mata of solitary confinement, e argue say oga Kanu bin get bail from 2017-2022 and na order of court say make e stay for custody for di safety of Nigerians. On di proscription of IPOB, e tok say no be di judge go decide dat one say e dey supreme court. Wetin be di charges against Nnamdi Kanu? Since 2015 wen di Nigeria goment first arrest Nnamdi Kanu, na only April dis year im trial start well-well. Remember say di matter bin dey bifor Justice Binta Nyako of di Federal High Court Abuja, and na she bin grant Kanu bail on health grounds for 2017, but Kanu run for im life comot for Nigeria afta soldiers bin carry out security operation for im House for Umuahia, Abia State for southeast Nigeria. For June 2021, security pipo for Kenya arrest Kanu and carry am by force come back to Nigeria to face trial. Di initial charges against di ipob leader bin dey 15, but Justice Nyako bring am down to seven. Even though di Court of Appeal later strike out all di charges and discharge Kanu, di Supreme Court reinstated di seven charges as dem tok say di Ipob leader get questions to ansa. Dis na di seven charges: Count 1: Say you Nnamdi Kanu, as member and leader of Ipob commit act of terrorism against di federal republic of Nigeria by making broadcast wit intention to intimidate di population. Count 2: Say you Nnamdi Kanu, as member and leader of Ipob commit act of terrorism against di federal republic of Nigeria by making broadcast wit intention to threaten members of di public wit sit at home order. Count 3: Say you Nnamdi Kanu, make broadcast wia you declare your sef as member and leader of Ipob, group wey Nigeria goment don ban. Count 4: Say you Nnamdi Kanu, make broadcast wia you encourage members of di public to kill Nigeria security officers. Count 5: Say you Nnamdi Kanu, make broadcast wia you encourage di public to attack officers of di Nigeria police force. Count 6: Say you Nnamdi Kanu, make broadcast wia you encourage members of di public to burn down evri federal goment facilty for Lagos wey lead to major economic loss to federal goment. Count 7: Say you Nnamdi Kanu, import Radio transmitter known as Tram 50L and hide am inside container for Ubulisiuzor for Ihiala Local government area of Anambra state.
BBC News
19-06-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Nigeria goment close case against Ipob leader but Nnamdi Kanu lawyers wan file no-case submission
Lawyers to Nnamdi Kanu, leader of di Indigenous People of Biafra (Ipob), don tok say dem go file a no-case submission on top di terrorism allegation wey di Nigeria goment sama on top dia client. Kanu Agabi wey be di lead defence team for Nnamdi Kanu, tok dis one for court on Thursday afta di federal goment counsel - Adegboyega Awomolo - inform di court say dem dey close dia case. For di hearing on Thursday, Awomolo call dia fifth and final witness, Mr EEE (no be im real name), who be officer of di Department of State Services. Di witness tell di court say na im lead investigation into di impact of di End SARS protest wey bin happun for across di kontri in October of 2020, and im be di secretary of di presidential ad-hoc committee on di assessment of impact of di end sars protest. E say im and im team bin travel to all di states for Southern Nigeria wia End SARS protest bin happun and e document di public properties wey pipo destroy and di number of security personnel wey kpai during di protest. Awomolo present to di court a copy of di report of di committee, and Nnamdi Kanu lawyers say dem get objection, but dem go raise am for dia written address. Di trial Judge, James Omotosho admit di document in evidence. According to di report, a total of 128 policemen, 37 army pipo and 10 DSS pipo bin die during di protest. Also di protesters destroy a total of 164 police stations and 19 Inec facilities across di kontri. 'Nnamdi Kanu broadcasts na di major cause of End SARS protest' As e dey give im witness, oga EEE tok say dia investigation reveal say di broadcasts wey Nnamdi Kanu bin dey do ova di years, na im be di underlying cause of di insurrection. E say: "As a trained security expert, we know say evri insurrection dey get two causes, di one wey pipo dey see and di underlying cause wey pipo no see, wey be di main cause of di insurrection." During cross-examination, Onyechi Ikpeazu wey be one of Nnamdi Kanu lawyers ask di witness say: "So, di entire End SARS protest na bicos di defendant ask pipo to protest?" EEE ansa say im no know about dat but e know say di defendant bin don dey tell pipo make dem attack security officials and destroy public property. "So when pipo bin destroy properties for Osun and Lagos state during the End SARS protest, you dey tell di court say na bicos di defendant ask dem to do am? Shey you dey categorically say di End SARS issue na Biafran issue?" Ikpeazu ask. Di witness respond say "my assignment no be to investigate Biafra, my assignment na to investigate di End SARS issue to which di defendant bin incite di public." EEE insist say di issue of police brutality fit be di secondary cause of di protest, but di real reasons na bicos say some subversive elements bin don dey incite di public against di goment. Nnamdi Kanu broadcasts na one of dose underlying causes. Di defense counsel den ask for a copy of di Lagos State judicial panel of enquiry into the End SARS protest, wey dem bin don tendered in evidence as exhibit PWO. E tell di witness say: "I put it to you say dis report no mention di defendant name or di IPOB or to indict dem for di damages wey happen during di End SARS protest." Oga EEE reply say im neva read di report so e no know wetin e tok. Also during di cross examination Ikpeazu point out to di witness some discrepancies for di document including say dem no give details of di dead bodies of di security pipo wey dem claim say Ipob/ESN pipo kill durin End SARS, and di fact say neither di witness wey claim to be secretary of di investigative committee nor di chairman of di committee sign di document. Ikpeazu also point out to di witness say di part of di report wey concern oda states of di kontri, di title na 'Report of di Assessment of di damage of impact of di End SARS protest', but from page 669 wey concern states in di southeast region, di title na 'Report of di Presidential adhoc committee investigating di activities of di leader of IPOB and ESN'. "I put it to you dat for di purpose of dis trial, una manufacture pages 669 downwards of dis document and den attach am to di report of the Assessment of di damage of impact of the end SARS protest," Ikpeazu tell di witness, and e say "No, dat is not di case". Afta di cross exmaination, FG lawyer Awomolo inform di court say dem don exhaust dia materials for di trial as dem don call five witnesses and tender plenty documents in evidence, "we hereby close our case". Di lead defence counsel, Kanu Agabi tell di court say dem intend to file a no-case submission. No-case submission na legal term wey mean to say di defence team dey tok say di prosecution no do enough to establish any case against di defendant, so make di court strike out di case. Justice Omotosho give both di prosecution and defence teams 14 days each to file dia written addresses, and e adjourn di matter to Friday, 18 July, 2025, for adoption of written addresses in respect of no case submission.
