Barrister Aloy Ejimakor, the counsel to the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, on Tuesday, disagreed with the manner of extradition, summary trial and detention in the custody of the Department of the State Security, DSS, of the leader of IPOB, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu.
Ejimakor argued that Kanu’s case was a well know case and a matter which was already on course before the IPOB leader disappeared to save his life during the invasion of his house by the military, adding that he will surely seek for Kanu’s bail.
Speaking in an Exclusive interview with Dennis Agbo of Vanguard, Ejimakor said that by law, Kanu was entitled to a defense counsel which the security agencies that re-arraigned him denied him through his secret trial on Tuesday assuring that he will go to the DSS office to look for him.
“His summary trial and detention in the DSS custody was wrong because this is an open case as the Attorney General himself admitted through his press conference. The case is in court it’s not a new case, his lawyers are well known and his lawyers were not informed. This is indicative of the unfairness of the system we are struggling against in this country.
The constitution says you are entitled to legal defense of your choice, it’s not a new case and they would have just called one of his lawyers and that would have balanced the arrangement. That again is fundamental unfairness and a breach of the constitution.
“Asking me if I will go the DSS to ask for him is unnecessary, but necessary given the unique situation we have in this country. Everybody is entitled to a lawyer be the person a terrorist or a freedom fighter, everybody deserve a lawyer and lawyers are not supposed to be harassed or put in fear. You are asking the question because of the unique situation in Nigeria. I will go for him because it’s my duty and as a counsel I stand by the rule of ethics to defend every human being on planet and that is my duty as a lawyer.”
