A dramatic twist unfolded on Thursday at the Federal High Court in Abuja as the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, dismissed his legal team led by Chief Kanu Agabi (SAN) and announced his decision to personally defend himself in the ongoing trial.
Kanu, addressing Justice James Omotosho during the resumed hearing, declared that he was “fully capable” of handling his own defense.
The decision prompted Chief Agabi, a former Attorney-General of the Federation , and other senior lawyers on his team to formally withdraw from the case.
Immediately after dismissing his lawyers, Kanu challenged the court’s jurisdiction to continue with the trial, questioning the legal foundation of the charges against him.
It was further gathered that the IPOB leader had earlier filed a motion dated October 21, which he personally signed, naming several prominent Nigerians as witnesses he intends to call in his defense.
The motion, titled “Notice of Number and Names of Witnesses to be Called by the Defendant and Request for Witness Summons/Subpoena and Variation of the Time Within Which to Defend the Counts/Charges Against the Defendant,” contained a long list of “compellable witnesses.”
Those listed include:
- Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike
- Former Minister of Defence, Gen. Theophilus Danjuma (rtd.)
- Former Chief of Army Staff, Gen. Tukur Buratai (rtd.)
- Governors Babajide Sanwo-Olu (Lagos) and Hope Uzodinma (Imo)
- Minister of Works, Dave Umahi
- Former Abia State Governor, Okezie Ikpeazu
- Former Director-General of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA), Ahmed Abubakar
- Former Director-General of the Department of State Services (DSS), Yusuf Bichi
Kanu stated in the motion that sworn statements would be provided by all voluntary witnesses and that the prosecution would be duly notified.
Sources at the court revealed that Kanu met privately with members of his legal team on Wednesday, in line with an earlier court directive, before being brought to court under heavy DSS security for Thursday’s session.
The court is expected to rule on Kanu’s latest application and determine the next steps in the high-profile trial, which continues to attract both national and international attention.
