Court fines Malami over prosecutor’s absence from Nnamdi Kanu’s former co-defendants’ trial

03 Feb Court fines Malami over prosecutor’s absence from Nnamdi Kanu’s former co-defendants’ trial

The Federal High Court in Abuja, on Wednesday, imposed a fine of N200, 000 on the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF), Abubakar Malami, for scuttling the trial of four former co-defendants of Nnamd Kanu.

The four defendants – Bright Chimezie, Chidiebere Onwudike, Benjamin Maduagwu and David Nwaurusi – were until February 2018 co-defendants in the same case with Mr Kanu, the leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).

Binta Nyako, the trial judge, on February 20, 2018, ordered a separate trial for Mr Kanu, who had then stopped attending trial and fled the country for months following the invasion of his house in Abia State by the military in September 2017.

Mr Kanu, who was brought back to the country under unclear circumstances by the federal government in June last year, is now facing terrorism and treasonable felony charges alone in a separate case.

On Wednesday, Mrs Nyako ordered that each of Mr Kanu’s former co-defendants be paid N50,000 by the AGF for the inconveniences they suffered as a result of the absence of the lead prosecutor from the Federal Ministry of Justice, Shuaib Labaran.

Mrs Nyako, who was visibly angry at the way the trial was scuttled on Wednesday, ordered that the total sum of N200, 000 must be paid to the defendants before the next trial date fixed for March 17.

The defendants had, through their lawyer, Ifeanyi Ejiofor, complained about the hardship they suffered to raise funds for their transportation to Abuja. They usually travel to Abuja for their trial from their various places of residence in the South-east region of the country.

There was no legal representation for the federal government at the time their case was called on Wednesday.

The judge was about to adjourn the suit when a lawyer from the Federal Ministry of Justice, Adewumi Aluko, came in to apologise that the government’s lead lawyer was out of the country.

Mrs Aluko informed the judge that two witnesses were in court, but would not want the case to proceed in the absence of the lead counsel. She then sought an adjournment.

Her apology did not go down well with the judge who warned the federal government to be more serious in the trial of the defendants.

Similarly, Mrs Nyako advised the defence lawyers to stop using frivolous applications to delay the trial which started since 2015.