The ongoing terrorism trial of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), took a dramatic turn today at the Federal High Court in Abuja as Justice James Kolawole Omotosho dismissed all three applications filed by the defendant.
At the commencement of proceedings, the judge allowed both parties a brief opportunity to address the court before delivering rulings on the pending motions. Justice Omotosho noted that Kanu had submitted three applications—a motion to stay proceedings, a fresh bail application, and an application seeking leave to file a final written address.
The court held that the motion for stay of proceedings was incompetent in light of Section 306 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA), which expressly prohibits stay of proceedings in criminal trials. According to the judge, no party is permitted to halt an ongoing criminal matter through interlocutory appeals, and the application was therefore dismissed.
On the bail request, the judge explained that criminal procedure recognizes two types of bail: bail pending trial and bail intended to release a defendant from custody. He stated that Kanu’s application failed to specify which type he was seeking, rendering it defective and incapable of being granted.
Addressing the request to file a final written address, the court ruled that Kanu’s refusal to enter his defence could only be interpreted as a decision to rest his case on the prosecution’s evidence. Having chosen not to defend himself, the judge said, the defendant could not seek to file a final address, and the application was rejected.
Kanu strongly objected to the rulings, expressing clear dissatisfaction in open court. His outburst disrupted proceedings, prompting Justice Omotosho to order operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) to remove him from the courtroom.
The trial is expected to continue on a date to be fixed by the court.
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