The legal team of the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, has again raised the alarm over his welfare, saying that the Department of State Services (DSS) has isolated him completely from all his visitors, preventing him from meeting anyone including his legal team.
Kanu’s special lawyer, Barrister Aloy Ejimakor, who made this known in a statement he issued on Monday on behalf of the legal team said that in violation of subsisting orders of court, the DSS blocked the legal team from meeting with Kanu when they visited the IPOB leader in Abuja on their routine visitation.
Ejimakor recalled that the DSS had not allowed any visitor to see Kanu since his last court appearance on September 24 when he had demanded the recusal of Justice Binta Nyako from his case.
“Today (14th October 2024), in violation of subsisting orders of court, the State Security Services (DSS or SSS) blocked the Legal Team of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu from seeing him when we went to its headquarters in Abuja on a routine visitation to Mazi Kanu, pursuant to court-ordered visitation regimen.
“It will be recalled that the DSS has not allowed any visitors to see Mazi Nnamdi Kanu since his last court appearance on 24th September 2024 when Mazi Kanu had demanded the recusal of Justice Binta Murtala-Nyako from his case.
He said that it had become increasingly clear that the latest unconstitutionality emanating from the DSS had a direct nexus to Kanu’s successful recusal of Justice Nyako, seeing that the recusal was subsequently vacated by the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja.
Ejimakor said, “It is now becoming increasingly clear that this latest unconstitutionality emanating from the DSS has a direct nexus to Mazi Kanu’s successful recusal of Justice Nyako, even as the recusal was subsequently vacated by the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, Abuja.
“We wish to go on the record to recall that, in the recent past when the DSS had also violated terms of the court-ordered visitations, we levied applications before the Federal High Court to enforce its compliance but the applications have, to this day, not been scheduled for hearing.
“This anomaly leaves the uncanny impression that the DSS is above the law or even above the Constitution and the Courts.
“The DSS should know that one of the reasons for the court-ordered visitations is for Mazi Kanu’s relatives and lawyers to occasionally interact with him and have proof of his life and wellbeing.
“Thus, now that the DSS has totally blocked all access to Mazi Kanu, one might ask: What is the DSS hiding? Is Mazi Nnamdi Kanu hale and hearty?”